Inventor Nikola Tesla contributed to the development of the

alternating-current electrical system that's widely used today and

discovered the rotating magnetic field (the basis of most AC
machinery).
Who Was Nikola Tesla?

Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 to January 7, 1943) was an engineer known for designing the
alternating-current (AC) electric system, which is still the predominant electrical system used
across the world today. He also created the "Tesla coil," which is still used in radio technology.
Born in what is now Croatia, Tesla came to the United States in 1884 and briefly worked
with Thomas Edison before the two parted ways. He sold several patent rights, including those to
his AC machinery, to George Westinghouse.
READ ARTICLE: 'The Feats and Foibles of Nikola Tesla'
(Photo: Napoleon Sarony [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Nikola Tesla’s Inventions

Throughout his career, Tesla discovered, designed and developed ideas for a number of
important inventions — most of which were officially patented by other inventors — including
dynamos (electrical generators similar to batteries) and the induction motor. He was also a
pioneer in the discovery of radar technology, X-ray technology, remote control and the rotating
magnetic field — the basis of most AC machinery. Tesla is most well-known for his
contributions in AC electricity and for the Tesla coil.

AC Electrical System

Tesla designed the alternating-current (AC) electrical system, which would quickly become the
preeminent power system of the 20th century and has remained the worldwide standard ever
since. In 1887, Tesla found funding for his new Tesla Electric Company, and by the end of the
year he had successfully filed several patents for AC-based inventions.

Tesla's AC system soon caught the attention of American engineer and businessman George
Westinghouse, who was seeking a solution to supplying the nation with long-distance power.
Convinced that Tesla's inventions would help him achieve this, in 1888 he purchased his patents
for $60,000 in cash and stock in the Westinghouse Corporation.

As interest in an AC system grew, Tesla and Westinghouse were put in direct competition with
Thomas Edison, who was intent on selling his direct-current (DC) system to the nation. A
negative-press campaign was soon waged by Edison, in an attempt to undermine interest in AC
power. Unfortunately for Thomas Edison, the Westinghouse Corporation was chosen to supply
the lighting at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and Tesla conducted
demonstrations of his AC system there.

Hydroelectric Power Plant

In 1895, Tesla designed what was among the first AC hydroelectric power plants in the United
States, at Niagara Falls. The following year, it was used to power the city of Buffalo, New York
— a feat that was highly publicized throughout the world and helped further AC electricity’s
path to becoming the world’s power system.

The Tesla Coil

In the late 19th century, Tesla patented the "Tesla coil," which laid the foundation for wireless
technologies and is still used in radio technology today. The heart of an electrical circuit, the
Tesla coil is an inductor used in many early radio transmission antennas. The coil works with a
capacitor to resonate current and voltage from a power source across the circuit. Tesla himself
used his coil to study fluorescence, x-rays, radio, wireless power and electromagnetism in the
earth and its atmosphere.
Tesla Motors & the Electric Car

In 2003, a group of engineers founded Tesla Motors, a car company named after Nikola Tesla
dedicated to building the first fully electric-powered car. Entrepreneur and engineer Elon
Musk contributed over $30 million to Tesla in 2004 and serves as the company’s co-founder
CEO. In 2008, Tesla unveiled its first electric car, the Roadster. A high-performance sports
vehicle, the Roadster helped changed the perception of what electric cars could be. In 2014,
Tesla launched the Model S, a lower-priced model that, in 2017, set the Motor Trend world
record for 0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration at 2.28 seconds. Tesla’s designs showed that an
electric car could have the same performance as gasoline-powered sports car brands like Porsche
and Lamborghini.

When and Where Was Nikola Tesla Born?

Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in what is now Smiljan, Croatia.

Childhood and Education

Nikola Tesla was one of five children, including siblings Dane, Angelina, Milka and Marica.
Tesla's interest in electrical invention was spurred by his mother, Djuka Mandic, who invented
small household appliances in her spare time while her son was growing up. Tesla's father,
Milutin Tesla, was a Serbian orthodox priest and a writer, and he pushed for his son to join the
priesthood. But Nikola's interests lay squarely in the sciences.

After studying at the Realschule, Karlstadt (later renamed the Johann-Rudolph-Glauber

Realschule Karlstadt); the Polytechnic Institute in Graz, Austria; and the University of Prague
during the 1870s, Tesla moved to Budapest, where for a time he worked at the Central Telephone
Exchange. It was while in Budapest that the idea for the induction motor first came to Tesla, but
after several years of trying to gain interest in his invention, at age 28 Tesla decided to leave
Europe for America.

Tesla and Thomas Edison

In 1884 Tesla arrived in the United States with little more than the clothes on his back and a
letter of introduction to famed inventor and business mogul Thomas Edison, whose DC-based
electrical works were fast becoming the standard in the country. Edison hired Tesla, and the two
men were soon working tirelessly alongside each other, making improvements to Edison's
inventions.

Several months later, the two parted ways due to a conflicting business-scientific relationship,
attributed by historians to their incredibly different personalities: While Edison was a power
figure who focused on marketing and financial success, Tesla was commercially out-of-tune and
somewhat vulnerable.

First Solo Venture

In 1885, Tesla received funding for the Tesla Electric Light Company and was tasked by his
investors to develop improved arc lighting. After successfully doing so, however, Tesla was
forced out of the venture and for a time had to work as a manual laborer in order to survive.

His luck would change two years later, when he received funding for his new Tesla Electric
Company.

Nikola Tesla’s Free Electricity Project

Having become obsessed with the wireless transmission of energy, around 1900 Nikola set to
work on his boldest project yet: to build a global, wireless communication system — to be
transmitted through a large electrical tower — for sharing information and providing free
electricity throughout the world. With funding from a group of investors that included financial
giant J. P. Morgan, in 1901 Tesla began work on the project in earnest, designing and building a
lab with a power plant and a massive transmission tower on a site on Long Island, New York,
that became known as Wardenclyffe.

However, doubts arose among his investors about the plausibility of Tesla's system. As his
rival, Guglielmo Marconi — with the financial support of Andrew Carnegieand Thomas Edison
— continued to make great advances with his own radio technologies, Tesla had no choice but to
abandon the project. The Wardenclyffe staff was laid off in 1906, and by 1915 the site had fallen
into foreclosure. Two years later Tesla declared bankruptcy and the tower was dismantled and
sold for scrap to help pay the debts he had accrued.

Death

Poor and reclusive, Nikola Tesla died on January 7, 1943, at the age of 86, in New York City,
where he had lived for nearly 60 years. After suffering a nervous breakdown following the
closure of his free energy project, Tesla eventually returned to work, primarily as a consultant.
But as time went on, his ideas became progressively more outlandish and impractical. He grew
increasingly eccentric, devoting much of his time to the care of wild pigeons in New York City's
parks. He even drew the attention of the FBI with his talk of building a powerful "death beam,"
which had received some interest from the Soviet Union during World World II.
 However the legacy of the work Tesla left behind him lives on to this day. In 1994, a street sign
identifying "Nikola Tesla Corner" was installed near the site of his former New York City
laboratory, at the intersection of 40th Street and 6th Avenue.

Movies on Tesla

Several movies have highlighted Tesla's life and famous works, most notably:

 The Secret of Nikola Tesla, a 1980 biographical film starring Orson Welles as J. P. Morgan.
 Nikola Tesla, The Genius Who Lit the World, a 1994 documentary produced by the Tesla
Memorial Society and the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia.
 The Prestige, a 2006 fictional film about two magicians directed by Christopher Nolan, with rock
star David Bowie portraying Tesla.

These 10 TED Talks Will

Help You Improve Your Life
Can't hire a coach to help you improve your life? Watch
these 10 TED talks instead.

By Laura GarnettPerformance strategist@garnettl

These talks will change the way you think, work, and learn.

Think about all the areas in which you'd like to improve. Do you want to be more creative? How
about less afraid? Maybe you just want to make better use of your time.

If you don't have the means to hire a coach to help you learn how to tackle your goals, don't
panic. For every improvement you want to make, there's a TED talk out there for you.

If you're ready to live a better life, check out the 10 TED talks below. You'll walk away with all
the inspiration and practical steps you need to live your best personal and professional life.

1. I want to get better at interviewing.

Watch: How To Stay Calm When You Know You'll Be Stressed

If the thought of walking into an interview is enough to bring on the cold sweats, Daniel
Levitin's talk is for you. A neuroscientist by training, Levitin understands better than most how
the brain reacts under stressful situations. In his talk, he walks the audience through a personal
story that made him want to explore how he could minimize the potentially disastrous outcomes
of stressful situations. Thanks to a conversation with a Nobel Prize winner, he realizes there are
things he can do to accomplish just that. Watch the talk, and you'll soon find yourself walking
into an interview room with a new perspective and a better chance of getting the job.

2. I want to be less afraid of asking for help.

Watch: Are You A Giver Or A Taker

Are you a giver? A taker? A matcher? According to organizational psychologist Adam Grant,
these are the three types of people in every workplace. In this talk, Grant explains the differences
between the three types and makes a case for why we need to create situations in which givers
can become receivers. This talk will convince you that there's nothing wrong with asking for
help. In fact, it'll show you that it's better for you and your work.

3. I want to hire the best candidates.

Watch: Why The Best Hire Might Not Have The Perfect Resume

I've written before about why the best candidate might not become the superstar employee. This
talk from Regina Hartley expands on that notion. In her talk, she distinguishes between two types
of potential hires: the Silver Spoons and the Scrappers. The Scrappers, she says, are the ones
who have persevered in the face of obstacles; they refused to give up even when the odds were
stacked against them. If you're looking for the candidates who will perform during moments of
adversity, Hartley will show you how to spot the good hires.

4. I want to learn from the most innovative companies.

Watch: How To Manage For Collective Creativity

If you want to learn more about how companies innovate, Linda Hill's TED talk is required
viewing. Hill spent a decade studying different companies in different industries on different
continents. What she found was that the most innovative companies figured out a way to manage
for collective creativity; they created spaces for people at all levels of the organization to
innovate and solve problems. Listen to her talk and you'll see how companies like Google and
Pixar empower their employees to make decisions and work collaboratively.

5. I want to use my time wisely.

Watch: How To Gain Control Of Your Free Time

Struggling to make better use of your time? Laura Vanderkam's talk will help you look at time in
a new way. Instead of saying "I don't have time for that," Vanderkam argues that we should shift
the language to something more accurate: "That's not a priority." She then gives tips on how to
figure out your priorities and take small, firm steps in the direction of your goals. It's full of
invaluable insights for those looking to take control of their time.

6. I want to be more positive.

Watch: The Happy Secret To Better Work

Speaking of priorities, Shawn Achor would tell you that becoming more positive in the present
moment should be near the top of your list. As he explains in his TED talk, this "happiness
advantage" is the key to a better personal and professional life. When you start rewiring your
brain to think positively, you'll be smarter, more creative, and more productive. His talk will give
you the motivation and the tools to make that happen.

7. I want to have a great career.

Watch: Why You Will Fail To Have A Great Career

Given the title, it might seem counterintuitive to recommend this talk. But Larry Smith knows all
of your excuses, including those that will keep you from achieving greatness. That's why this is
exactly the talk you need right now. Instead of coddling the audience, Smith uses his time to
share some tough love: You are standing in your own way. You are not taking the steps necessary
to get ahead. This talk will inspire you to look at the excuses you're making and figure out how
to renew your commitment to greatness.

8. I want to embrace my curiosity.

Watch: Why Some Of Us Don't Have One True Calling

By now you probably know how valuable it is to develop a sense of curiosity. But if you still
haven't embraced your inquisitive nature, you'll want to after you watch Emilie Wapnick's talk.
In it, she explains that many people have competing interests, which makes them
"multipotentialites." Instead of forcing yourself to narrow your interests, Wapnick will show you
how your multipotentiality is an advantage. By the end of the talk, she'll convince you to follow
your curiosity where it leads.

9. I want to inspire those around me.

Watch: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

There's a reason this is one of the most popular TED talks of all time. Simon Sinek shares a
profound discovery he made a few years earlier: that the why behind what you do matters more
than the what itself. If you want to find out what Apple, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Wright
brothers have in common, watch this talk. It'll give you valuable insight into how you can inspire
those around you.

10. I want to get better at getting better.

Watch: How To Get Better At The Things You Care About

If you're working hard but still not seeing any progress, you're not alone. In his talk, Eduardo
Briceño explains how we operate in two zones: the learning zone and the performance zone.
Most people spend their time in the performance zone, which hinders progress. By refocusing
our attention on the learning zone and employing deliberate practice techniques, we'll see
substantial improvement. If you're finally ready to make gains in your life, this talk will help you
dig deep into what you need to do.

PUBLISHED ON: FEB 24, 2017

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PERSONAL CAPITAL

A New Study Reveals the

True Cost of FOMO
A surprising number of Millennials are going into debt over
their fear of missing out.

By Cameron Albert-DeitchAssistant editor, Inc.com@c_albertdeitch

It's no secret that a large number of Millennials are in financial distress. Student loan
debtand low-paying jobs are big factors, but there's also another, lesser-know culprit.

Add "FOMO spending" to the list.

In a new study of 1,045 Americans aged 18-34, nearly 40 percent said they have gone into debt
just to keep up with their friends' lifestyles. Most commonly, they combat their FOMO--
shorthand for "fear of missing out"--by spending on food, travel, clothes, alcohol, and
electronics. The study was conducted by research firm Qualtrics and personal finance company
Credit Karma.

The good news is that more than half of those surveyed say they spend money they don't have on
lifestyle purchases a maximum of once per year. Unfortunately, 21 percent admitted to engaging
in FOMO spending at least once per month. More than a third of participants in the study "doubt
they can keep up with their friends for another year without going into debt."

The researchers attribute the findings to social anxiety, writing that 36 percent of Millennials
"spend money they don't have because they're afraid they won't be included in a future activity if
they don't." Among those who go into debt, the report found, 73 percent don't tell their friends
about it.

The study suggests a few tips to help Millennials stick to their budgets:

1. Be honest with your friends. If you're keeping your financial struggles secret, they might be
doing the same.
2. Suggest free alternatives. Invite friends over, rather than going out.
3. Limit your credit card use. If you rely on cash, you'll only be able to spend a finite amount.

PUBLISHED ON: MAY 1, 2018

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