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Nikola Tesla in Strasburg, France, where he built the first induction motor
In 1882, Nikola Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field, a fundamental principle in physics and one of the greatest discoveries of all times. In February, 1882, Nikola Tesla was walking with his friend through a city park in Budapest, Hungary. Tesla was reciting stanzas from Goethe's Faust, the sun was just setting, when suddenly the elusive solution to the rotating magnetic field, which he had been seeking for a long time, flashed through his mind. At this very moment, he saw clearly in his mind an iron rotor spinning rapidly in an rotating magnetic field, produced by the interaction of two alternating currents out of step with each other. One of the ten greatest discoveries of all times was born at this glorious moment. Tesla was gifted with the intense power of visualization and exceptional memory from early youth on. He was able to fully construct, develop and perfect his inventions completely in his mind before committing them to paper. From his memory he constructed the first induction motor. In the summer of 1883, Tesla was working in Strasburg, France, where he built his first actual induction motor model and saw it run. Tesla's A-C induction motor is widely used throughout the world in industry and household appliances. It started the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the century.
Tesla's electromagnetic motor is based on the principle of rotating magnetic field. In 1975, Nikola Tesla was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in the United States of America for the discovery of the electromagnetic motor. In 1983, the United States Postal Service introduced the Tribute to American Inventor's Stamps, where Tesla is present along side his induction motor.
According to Electrical Review, from March 1896:
"In 1893, three men who have since become world famous, were at the University of Strasburg, although they were then unknown to one another or to fame. They were Paderewski, Roentgen and Tesla. (Ignace Paderewski was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman. He was Tesla's friend. He represented Poland at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1918 and at the League of Nations. He served as a Polish President in the Republic of Poland after World War I.) Paderewski was at that time an instructor in music at the University of Strasburg; Roentgen (discoverer of X-Rays) was a professor of physics and Tesla was installing the electric light plant in the University of Strasburg." All these three famous men became friends later on in life.