Nikola Tesla - Part 2

Tesla then resigned from Edison’s company after he was refused a raise to $25 a week and he went on to form his own company, Tesla Electric-Light and Manufacturing. However, his company didn’t work out and Tesla became jobless and eventually worked in New York as a common laborer. This was Tesla’s lowest part in his life. In this time though, he developed his alternating current induction motor and demonstrated it to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. George Westinghouse, an American entrepreneur, got in contact with Tesla and bought all of his AC patents for a million dollars plus royalty of $1/hp produced. Tesla then began developing the principles for the Tesla coil and worked for Westinghouse for a year. After working for Westinghouse, Tesla went back to his New York laboratory to work on and investigate X-rays.

In 1891, Tesla became a naturalized US citizen at 35 years old. He then established two laboratories both in New York and used them to experiment. In those laboratories he provided evidence for the potential of wireless transmission. Tesla then went on to serve as Vice President of AIEE from 1892-94. At his time there, he investigated high frequency alternating currents, generated an alternating current of 1 million volts using the Tesla coil, designed tuned circuits, invented a machine for inducing sleep, and invented cordless discharge lamps. He also transmitted electro-magnetic energy without wires, which was the first radio transmitter, and he started microwave technology when he showed the heating effect on high frequency current. In 1893 Tesla used his AC power to illuminate the world’s fair and also showcased many of his inventions there. Tesla’s contribution to AC power really became prevalent when, in 1896, the world’s first large scale power plant producing AC power was set up at Niagara Falls. This also showed its superiority over Edison’s DC power. This kicked off the “war on currents” between Edison’s DC current vs. Tesla’s AC current.

In 1894, Columbia and Yale Universities gave Tesla honorary doctoral degrees. He was also given the Elliot Cresson Medal by the Franklin Institute and, in 1934; Philadelphia gave him the John Scott Medal for his polyphase power system. Tesla also became an honorary member of the National Electric Light Association and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  As you can see, Tesla’s influence was greatly shown in his amount of medals and awards that were given to him.

End of Part 2.