Thread by @VisionaryVoid

Today marks the 168th Birthday of the Great Nikola Tesla.

Here's a complete Thread of Nikola Tesla's Life 🧵: Every Aspect, From Achievements to Controversies

1. Born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Croatia, Tesla's father was a priest, and his mother was an inventor of household appliances. Tesla showed early signs of intelligence and interest in mechanics. He attended the Technical University of Graz and later studied in Prague.

In 1884, Tesla moved to the United States and started working for Thomas Edison. They initially collaborated on improving Edison's direct current (DC) systems, but soon their differing visions led to a fallout.

Tesla advocated for alternating current (AC) as opposed to Edison's direct current (DC). This led to the famous "War of Currents," with Tesla's AC proving more efficient for long-distance power transmission.

Tesla partnered with industrialist George Westinghouse to develop AC power. Together, they built the first major AC power plant at Niagara Falls, which became a significant milestone in electrical engineering.

In 1896, Nikola Tesla captured an X-ray image of his own foot using a machine of his design. This X-ray photograph, which Tesla referred to as a "shadowgraph," depicted his foot within a shoe. The image was produced at a distance of 8 feet using X-rays generated by a vacuum tube. It revealed not only the metal components of the shoe, such as lace holes and hobnails, but also the bones of the foot. Tesla's experimentation with X-rays began around 1894, closely aligned with Wilhelm Röntgen's groundbreaking discovery of X-rays in December 1895. Röntgen, a German mechanical engineer and physicist, went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for his achievement. Despite Tesla acknowledging Röntgen's contribution, Röntgen himself commended Tesla for his remarkable images and was curious about the methods Tesla employed, as seen in their 1901 exchange of notes in the second photo.

Tesla held over 300 patents for his inventions, including the Tesla coil, which is still used in radio technology, and the induction motor. His work laid the foundation for modern electrical engineering.

Nikola Tesla sitting in his laboratory with his “magnifying transmitter”

Wireless Transmission

Tesla envisioned a world of wireless communication and power transmission. He demonstrated the wireless transmission of electrical energy with his Tesla coil and conducted experiments at his Colorado Springs lab.

Wardenclyffe Tower

Tesla began building Wardenclyffe Tower in 1901 in Long Island, New York, aiming to provide free wireless energy globally. However, the project ran out of funding and was never completed.

Tesla predicted the Thought Camera in 1893

“I expect to photograph thoughts. In 1893, while engaged in certain investigations, I became convinced that a definite image formed in thought, must by reflex action, produce a corresponding image on the retina, which might be read by a suitable apparatus…Now if it be true that a thought reflects an image on the retina, it is a mere question of illuminating the same property and taking photographs, and then using the ordinary methods which are available to project the image on a screen… If this can be done successfully, then the objects imagined by a person would be clearly reflected on the screen as they are formed, and in this way every thought of the individual could be read. Our minds would then, indeed, be like open books.”

Published in 1933, Newspaper.

Tesla had an intriguing theory about the Great Pyramids of Giza. He believed that the pyramids were not just tombs for the pharaohs, but also served a higher purpose as energy transmitters.

Tesla's fascination with the pyramids stemmed from his understanding of the Earth's ionosphere and the potential to harness the energy of the cosmos. He theorized that the pyramids were aligned with the Earth's magnetic field and could be used to generate and transmit electricity wirelessly.

To test his theory, Tesla built Tesla Towers according to laws inspired by studying the Pyramids themselves. He even filed a patent in the U.S. titled "The art of transmitting electrical energy through the natural medium," outlining designs for a series of generators around the world which would tap the ionosphere for energy collection.

While Tesla's theories on the pyramids have been met with skepticism by modern scholars, his innovative thinking and willingness to explore new ideas demonstrate his brilliance. The mystery of the pyramids continues to captivate us, and Tesla's ideas have undoubtedly contributed to the ongoing fascination with these ancient structures.

Tesla's developed an obsession with the numbers 3, 6, and 9. Tesla believed that these numbers held a significant cosmic and metaphysical importance. He assigned mystical properties to them and claimed that they held the key to understanding the universe's secrets. This obsession with numbers, along with his other eccentric behaviors, contributed to the perception of Tesla as mentally unstable during his final years.

Later in life, Tesla developed a deep affection for pigeons, especially one white pigeon he claimed to love as he would a human. This unusual attachment added to his eccentric image.

Death Ray

One of the most prominent conspiracy theories revolves around Tesla’s missing files. After Tesla’s death in 1943, the U.S. government’s Office of Alien Property seized many documents related to his work. This action was taken during World War II, when Tesla claimed to have invented a powerful particle-beam weapon, known as the "Death Ray". The government’s move to seize Tesla’s property and documents has fueled numerous conspiracy theories.

Tesla’s Visionary Predictions
Tesla predicted the development of wireless communication, smartphones, and renewable energy. His foresight into technological advancements was remarkable for his time.

Despite his numerous inventions, Tesla struggled financially throughout his life. Poor business decisions and lack of funding for his projects often left him in debt.

In 1943, Nikola Tesla's final photograph was taken. He passed away on January 7th, at the age of 86, in Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel, where an assistant medical examiner later determined that a blood clot in his heart's arteries had caused his death.

From 1933 to 1943, Tesla resided in both Room 3327 and Room 3328 at the Hotel New Yorker. Room 3327 held Tesla's safe, where he securely stored his scientific papers, including the renowned "Tesla Death Rays" documents. Tragically, these papers vanished after Tesla's passing. When Tesla's nephew, Sava Kosanovich, entered Room 3327, he discovered the safe open and the scientific papers missing.

On January 12th, a state funeral for Nikola Tesla was attended by two thousand people at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.

Anamorphic 3D portrait of Nikola Tesla made from electrical appliances.

There are numerous conspiracy theories about Tesla’s inventions being suppressed by powerful entities to protect their interests, especially his ideas on free energy.

The FBI declassified some 250 pages of Tesla-related documents under the Freedom of Information Act in 2016. However, many questions remain unanswered, and some of Tesla’s files are still missing. This has led to speculation about possible cover-ups and the suppression of Tesla’s inventions.

Tesla dreamed of creating a system of free energy accessible to everyone. He believed that a vast amount of electrical energy is dispersed in the Earth’s atmosphere and that every household could use this energy in the future using an antenna.

Tesla’s idea was to transmit energy through the Earth without the aid of wires. He said the ground “is literally alive with electrical vibrations,” therefore it can be used as a conductor. Tesla said electricity can be driven into the earth at one point, and brought out at any other.

However, the Tesla Coil, which was to produce wireless energy, does not have any current applications, although a version of it is used in radios and televisions. Theoretically, the Tesla Coil could be very efficient and sustain much energy development for little input.

Modern efforts to use the Tesla Coil have culminated into the humanitarian movement called the "Fix the World Project". Their mission is to focus on projects dealing with energy access, economic hardship, and basic humanitarian aid. However, there are detractors who argue that the device might have been a hoax.

Nikola Tesla talking about the importance of electric power

Honors and Recognitions

Tesla received several posthumous honors, including the unit of magnetic flux density being named the "Tesla." His legacy is celebrated globally, with numerous monuments, museums, and institutions bearing his name.

Tesla's life and work have inspired numerous books, films, and TV shows. He is often portrayed as a visionary genius, sometimes with a touch of mad scientist mystique.

The Nikola Tesla Museum

Nikola Tesla left behind a large collection of personal belongings and memorabilia, which are now preserved at various museums and archives around the world. Some of these items include his clothing, furniture, books, photographs, letters, patents, awards, medals, diplomas, and notebooks.

Some of his most interesting items are his inventions and models, such as his Tesla coil, his wireless lamp, his remote-controlled boat, his bladeless turbine, and his earthquake machine.

Some of these items are on display at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia; the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb, Croatia; the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.; and the Museum of Science in Boston. These items offer a glimpse into Tesla’s brilliant mind and creative spirit.

Nikola Tesla's assistant talks about work in the 1880s

Nikola Tesla looking out his Colorado Springs lab in 1899. The sign reads, "Great danger, keep out"

Life Lessons from Nikola Tesla

>Genius requires solitude.
>Our mind is only the receiver. We need to tune it with the universe.
>When someone says it can't be done, do it anyways.
>Money does not represent such a value as people have placed upon it.

Nikola tesla's last message to her mother

Share the thread if you like it ❤️