Recounts the life of scientist, inventor, and visionary Nikola Tesla, often remembered as more of an eccentric cult figure than an electrical engineering genius. Tesla's surprising inventions are revealed in his autobiographical and scientific writings.
Genius is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot & most of the time we are just talking about someone who is a bit smarter than the rest of us. But Nikola Tesla was the real deal. Reading this book helped this reader really understand just how much of a genius Tesla was. From the very beginning he had a grasp on the nature of electricity that no one else alive had; perhaps an even better grasp of this subject than anyone today. Because he could understand its very nature he could apply it in ways that people like Edison, Marconi & Roentgen could only guess at. He took the first step that led to inventions like the wireless telegraph, the X Ray, remote control & he was solely responsible for alternating current and the AC motor which revolutionized industry.
Perhaps the one invention of Tesla that has never been completely understood is the Tesla coil. He understood its implications so completely that he was planning on using it for a jumping off point for wireless energy, worldwide communication & even possibly communication to other planets. He had plans for a death ray that would shoot down hundreds of planes from 250 miles away.
It sounds like science fiction and his thinking was so far ahead of much of the world that he could often say something in jest & it was believed by the masses. However despite his multitude of inventions & patents he was not a businessman & he ended up dying penniless. This is an interesting story about a very fascinating man. What I find so incredible is just how far ahead of his time he was. Many of his concepts are still being researched and pursued today.