1. Nikola Tesla: The Forgotten Engineer Michael Kedenburg, Brittany Lauda, and Victoria Silliman Course: INTD 288 – History of Science with Drs. Cope, McLean, and Towsley Abstract Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor best known, but often forgotten, for his design of the alternating current (AC) electrical power supply. From his humble beginnings in modern day Croatia, Tesla rose to prominence as one of the premier engineers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, only to die penniless and forgotten in 1943. Tesla immigrated to the United States in 1884, to work in the laboratory of Thomas Edison, one of the leading electrical engineers of the time. Often Tesla and Edison were at odds over their different designs for electrical power supply. This is the background for what became known as the “War of the Currents” between Tesla and Edison, fighting for control over whose power supply design would prevail. With financial support from entrepreneur George Westinghouse, Tesla patented his AC power supply design and established his own laboratory independent of Edison. Tesla’s eccentric ideas beyond electrical supply led to his exile from the scientific and engineering community, causing him to be forgotten by time. Personal Background Tesla was born in an area on the Balkan Peninsula that was part of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire. Tesla was a gifted student and wanted to become an engineer; however, there was pressure put on him by his very religious family to enter the priesthood of the Orthodox Church. Eventually Tesla was able to enter the Austrian Polytechnic School at Graz to study engineering. There Tesla worked with electricity and direct currents and became obsessed by the idea of an alternating current. At 28, Tesla went to New York to meet his idol, Thomas Edison, the greatest electrical engineer of the time, and to work under his guidance on his alternating current theory. Historical Background The United States was experiencing an age of economic growth after their civil war. This period is referred to as The Gilded Age. The period between 1870 and 1914 is often referred to as the Second Industrial Revolution. Between 1860 and 1890 there were over 500,000 patents issued for new inventions in the United States, making it a world leader in applied technology. This is the setting for the “War of the Currents” between Edison and Tesla. War of the Currents Edison’s direct current (DC) power supply dominated the electrical landscape before Tesla’s rise to notoriety. While Tesla was employed by Edison, he designed the first alternating current (AC) power supply. Edison dismissed the feasibility of the AC power supply in order to continue to profit from his DC power supply. Tesla left Edison’s company to start his own laboratory, where he perfected the AC power supply design. Edison began a negative media campaign to discredit the AC system, and went as far as to publicly electrocute animals to demonstrate the dangers of AC. Tesla’s cost-efficient AC system beat out Edison’s expensive bid to provide power to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, launching him into the public eye. References Jonnes, Jill. Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World. New York: Random House, 2003. Print. McPherson, Stephanie S. War of the Currents: Thomas Edison Vs. Nikola Tesla. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2013. Print. Uth, Robert, Phylis Geller, Stacy Keach, Elizabeth Noone, and Margaret Cheney. Tesla: Master of Lightning. Alexandria, Va.: PBS Home Video, 2007. Fall From Notoriety Tesla’s primary financial backer, George Westinghouse, fell on financial hardship in the early 1890s, and asked Tesla to waive his royalties on the AC power supply patents in order to keep his company in business. Tesla agreed in order to continue sharing AC power with the world rather than turning a profit. Tesla, not profiting from the AC power supply, began work on a wireless power supply. A fire at his laboratory in 1895 destroyed all of his work on this power supply and sent him into financial ruin. After this disaster, Tesla had difficulty gaining support for his work in wireless electricity transmission. This, in conjunction with his lavish lifestyle, quickly destroyed what remained of his finances until he died penniless on January 7 th, 1943. Alternating Current (AC) Direct Current (DC) Reverses direction and polarity continuously One direction with fixed polarity Cheaper and easier to transform voltage More efficient therefore more “usable” voltage Reactive losses from back and forth motion Does not lose power to reactive losses Transmission over long distances easier - ability to step voltage up or down During “War of the Currents” no viable way to transmit DC over long distances