Profile of the Day: Nikola Tesla

Posted July 10, 2020 by Amanda | No Comment

Today we celebrate the 164th birthday of inventor Nikola Tesla! Tesla is remembered for his groundbreaking discoveries in the production, transmission, and application of electric power.

Image: Nikola Tesla / Library of Congress

Tesla was born in what is now Smiljan, Croatia on July 10, 1856. He was one of five children born to Milutin Tesla, an Eastern Orthodox priest, and Đuka Mandić.

In 1884, Tesla came to the United States and began working for Thomas Edison. However, a few months later, Tesla quit the company. Soon after, he formed Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing, where he would develop some of his greatest inventions. Tesla helped design the alternating-current (AC) electrical system and helped build the first large-scale AC power plant in the country. His invention, the Tesla coil, laid the foundations for wireless technologies.

Sadly, Tesla did not see any financial success from his many groundbreaking inventions during his lifetime. At the time of his death on January 7, 1943, Tesla was poor and a recluse. He died alone in his hotel room at the New Yorker Hotel.

Explore Nikola Tesla’s family tree on Geni and share your connection to the prolific inventor.