Tesla, Master of Lightning

He was one of the most brilliant, if not misunderstood, minds that science has ever known.

His name was Nikola Tesla. He was known as the Master of Lightning.

Tesla was born in the Baltics in 1856. A prodigy who could perform calculus in his head, he soon immersed himself in studies of mechanical and electrical engineering.

At the age of 28, he moved to New York City. He was fortunate to quickly make friends in high places, including J. P. Morgan, Thomas Edison, and Mark Twain.

One of his accomplishments was harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electrical power. As a child, when he saw a picture of the falls, his mind immediately thought of harnessing them for power generation. Such unabashed thinking marked most of Tesla's pursuits.

Eventually, he reached his dream, constructing a power station driven by the mighty falls that provided power for Buffalo, New York. He even tore up the contract promising him lucrative funds from the venture as a magnanimous gesture to financially troubled Westinghouse, who helped him make his dream true.

However, he suffered many other frustrating public relations defeats, and ended up dying with a fraction of the credit he deserved for his work in robotics, radio, electrical engineering, and ac motors.

However, he is known for his incredible lightning displays.

Today's FamilyFirst site is from pbs.org and is entitled Tesla, Master of Lightning. The site highlights a televised program from 2004, but is loaded with accounts and images about the great, misunderstood genius's life. Enjoy.

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/

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