Nikola Tesla Serbian-American inventor

Nikola Tesla, (born July 9/10, 1856, Smiljan, Austrian Empire [now in Croatia]—died January 7, 1943, New York, New York, U.S.), Serbian American inventor and engineer who discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery. He also developed the three-phase system of electric power transmission. He immigrated to the United States in 1884 and sold the patent rights to his system of alternating-current dynamos, transformers, and motors to George Westinghouse. In 1891 he invented the Tesla coil, an induction coil widely used in radio technology. Tesla was from a family of Serbian origin. His father was an Orthodox priest; his mother was unschooled but highly intelligent. As he matured, he displayed remarkable imagination and creativity as well as a poetic touch. TOP QUESTIONS Where was Nikola Tesla born? Nikola Tesla was born to Serbian parents in Smiljan, in what was then the Austrian Empire (now in Croatia). When did Nikola Tesla die? Nikola Tesla died on January 7, 1943, in New York City. Where did Nikola Tesla attend school? Nikola Tesla studied engineering at the Technical University at Graz, Austria, and the University of Prague. How did Nikola Tesla change the world? Tesla developed the alternating-current power system that provides electricity for homes and buildings. He also pioneered the field of radio communication and was granted more than 100 U.S. patents. What was Nikola Tesla’s childhood like? As a boy, Tesla was often sick, but he was a bright student with a photographic memory. In addition to his interest in engineering, he possessed a wild imagination as well as a love of poetry. Training for an engineering career, he attended the Technical University at Graz, Austria, and the University of Prague. At Graz he first saw the Gramme dynamo, which operated as a generator and, when reversed, became an electric motor, and he conceived a way to use alternating current to advantage. Later, at Budapest, he visualized the principle of the rotating magnetic field and developed plans for an induction motor that would become his first step toward the successful utilization of alternating current. In 1882 Tesla went to work in Paris for the Continental Edison Company, and, while on assignment to Strassburg in 1883, he constructed, after work hours, his first induction motor. Tesla sailed for America in 1884, arriving in New York with four cents in his pocket, a few of his own poems, and calculations for a flying machine. He first found employment with Thomas Edison, but the two inventors were far apart in background and methods, and their separation was inevitable. HomePolitics, Law & GovernmentBanking & Business Westinghouse Electric Corporation American company WRITTEN BY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... See Article History Alternative Title: Westinghouse Electric Company Westinghouse Electric Corporation, major American company that was a leading manufacturer of electrical equipment. Westinghouse, George Westinghouse, George George Westinghouse. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File Number: cph 3b39671 ) 00:00 Westinghouse Electric Corporation QUICK FACTS DATE 1886 - 1997 RELATED PEOPLE George Westinghouse Paul Rand Joseph Slepian AREAS OF INVOLVEMENT Nuclear reactor Broadcasting Manufacturing It was founded as the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1886 by George Westinghouse (1846–1914), the inventor of the air brake and other devices, to construct and market alternating-current electrical systems. Overcoming strong opposition from those fearful that alternating current posed a greater threat to health and safety than the direct current then used in the United States, the company prospered, branching out into all phases of electrical production and use. In 1907 the company was forced to reorganize to avoid insolvency, and George Westinghouse was subsequently relieved of his chairmanship. The company assumed its present name in 1945. It was based in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Peace Palace (Vredespaleis) in The Hague, Netherlands. International Court of Justice (judicial body of the United Nations), the Hague Academy of International Law, Peace Palace Library, Andrew Carnegie help pay for BRITANNICA QUIZ World Organizations: Fact or Fiction? The North Atlantic Treaty Organization began in medieval times. Westinghouse became a major supplier to the electric utility industry, manufacturing a complete line of machinery and products used to generate, transmit, distribute, and control electricity. It consistently lagged behind the General Electric Company in sales of home appliances, however, and basically ceased competing in that market in 1975.