A timeline by Daniel Young Nikola Tesla A timeline by Daniel Young

Birth of a Genius - 1856 On July 10th, 1856 in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary (what is now Croatia), Nikola Tesla was born to Milutin and Duka Tesla. Legend states that he was born during a lightning storm. Soon after his birth, he and his family moved a few miles to the larger town of Gospic.

A Change in Destiny - 1873 Nikola’s father, Milutin, was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church and intended for Nikola to follow in his footsteps. In 1873 Nikola contracted Cholera and was near death for 9 months. His father promised that if he survived he could follow his dream and go to an engineering school.

A Depression - 1875 to 1880 In 1875 Tesla lost his scholarship to the Austrian Polytechnic School after an argument with one of his professors over the Gramme Dynamo. He later dropped out. Tesla moved to Maribor, Slovenia and refused to return home. However he was forcibly deported in 1879. In the same year his father died of a sudden illness. Tesla resigned himself to teach in Gospic, but was depressed as it was not what he wanted to do with his life.

The Spark - 1881 In 1881 Tesla’s uncle arranged for him to work for the Budapest Telephone Exchange in Hungary. He was appointed Chief Electrician and immediately began to make improvements. Later that year he invented an amplified device that greatly improved the telephone system in Budapest.

The Beginning - 1882 to 1884 In early 1882 Nikola Tesla had suddenly came up with a practical method for using Alternating Current. Later the same year he moved to Paris and demonstrated the first AC motor in 1883. Later in 1883 Tesla was offered a job at the Edison Company. He arrived in New York City in 1884 and was immediately hired by Edison.

A Swift Blow - 1885 Edison offers Tesla $50,000 if he can improve on his DC dynamos. Tesla does and greatly exceeds Edison’s expectations. Despite this Edison refuses to pay stating “you don’t understand American Humor.” Nikola Tesla immediately resigned and formed the Tesla Electric Light Company only to have it torn out from under him after completing work on an arc lamp.

Rebound - 1887 to 1889 In 1887 Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Company with the support of Western Union director, Alfred Brown. In 1888 Tesla sells his first Alternating Current patents. In late 1889 Nikola Tesla opened his Grand Street Laboratory and began work on radio waves and the wireless transmission of energy.

Rivalries and New Discoveries - 1890 In August of 1890 Edison began a campaign to smear the image of Westinghouse, an ally of Tesla, because of his use of Alternating Current in electric chairs. Later the same year Tesla made several discoveries, including X-Rays and most importantly the wireless transmission of energy.

The Citizen and the Coil- 1891 In July of 1891 Nikola Tesla gained his American citizenship. He is reported to have said it was worth more to him than all of his inventions. Also in 1891 Nikola Tesla invented a device that amplifies electrical energy, the Tesla Coil.