Introduction
Nikola Tesla is recognized as one of the most controversial yet brilliant scientists in the history of humankind, and his importance for many fields is conditional upon the development of numerous ideas and inventions. In many ways, he is considered as a man of creations far ahead of his century, and this circumstance determines the interest of present-day people in his works (West, 2021). Therefore, this paper aims to examine the significance of this person for the world through analyzing his background, life events, and principal achievements affecting the progress of humanity in the long run.
Background Information
Nikola Tesla’s first years were complicated by obstacles to following the path the genius designed for himself. He was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Croatia, to a Serbian family of a clergyman in an orthodox church, Milutin, and an illiterate mother who, nevertheless, was exceptionally inventive in constructing mechanical tools (West, 2021). His early life was accompanied by various challenges, including the unwillingness of his father to accept any other career choices for his son while insisting on making him a priest (West, 2021).
However, the situation changed when Tesla contracted cholera and was promised to be sent to the university of his choice (West, 2021). After successfully graduating from the school in his village, the man moved to Austria to pursue his college education (West, 2021). In this way, further events in his life were defined by this decision.
Important Events
Despite the hopes of Tesla’s family and his ambitions, he did not become successful as a student because his ideas were not accepted by the professors. by rejection and spent several years gambling and suffering from a nervous breakdown (West, 2021). Consequently, he worked for the Central Telegraph Office in Budapest in 1880 and the Continental Edison Company in France in 1882 while designing innovative solutions to regular operations (West, 2021).
Despite their usefulness for these organizations, Tesla’s creations were not appreciated due to the unusual nature of suggestions criticized by his employers (West, 2021). In 1884, the scientist moved to the United States and founded the Tesla Electric Company to gain independence for his inventions (Petrescu et al., 2017). Since that time, the absence of restrictions served as a driver for promoting the engineer’s progress which resulted in a number of outstanding achievements.
Major Works and Achievements
Over the course of his lifetime, Tesla was involved in many fields and significantly contributed to their development. Thus, he modified manufacturing and technological processes by substituting direct-current generators with alternating-current systems for greater efficiency and created an induction motor (Mould, 2017). Meanwhile, even though these works are generally emphasized as the most crucial for his career, there are also many other ideas of the engineer which were successfully implemented.
Some of the most effective designs were experiments with X-rays and their hazards and the creation of the so-called Tesla coil, which is “an air-core transformer with primary and secondary coils tuned to resonate” (Mould, 2017, p. 280). The latter development was laid in the basis of radio transmission, which was launched in 1896 (Mould, 2017). In this way, the field of electronics benefited from Tesla’s activity, and his influence on the present-day world can be seen through the application of the mentioned works to different spheres of human life.
Visionary Ideas and Influence
The visionary ideas suggested by Nikola Tesla became popular and effectively underpinned his previous achievements. Even though their introduction was not immediate, they have contributed to the progress of humanity and modified the most crucial fields. For instance, the emergence of contemporary computer systems or power transmissions would have been impossible without the initiatives described above (Petrescu et al., 2017).
The same applies to navigation, transport, and GPS as they are based on them as well (Petrescu et al., 2017). In addition, Tesla influenced “wireless audio and video broadcasts,” which were introduced based on his works many years later due to the lack of funding and the overall public support (Petrescu et al., 2017, p. 875). These results of his scientific research can be attributed to the visionary power of the engineer. Their radical nature did not allow to fully implement these designs during his lifetime, and this fact adds to the standpoint that the man was a thinker ahead of his century. From this perspective, the controversy of Tesla’s achievements for the scientists of the past turned into the grounds for the technological world in its present state.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the significance of Nikola Tesla as a progressive man and a contributor to the creation of modern technological innovations is in the promotion of his ideas which were neglected by his contemporaries. Hence, the scientist’s progress brought him fame and recognition, and the ability to implement his vision regardless of the opposing public perceptions supported the inventions. All of the projects designed by this person are somehow applicable to the existing computing and energy systems. Therefore, this fact explains why Tesla is respected by the world and contributes to his value as an eminent researcher.
References
Mould, R. F. (2017). Nikola Tesla (1856–1943). Scientist & inventor. Biuletyn Polskiego Towarzystwa Onkologicznego Nowotwory, 2(3), 276-282. Web.
Petrescu, R. V., Aversa, R., Apicella, A., Abu-Lebdeh, T., & Petrescu, F. I. (2017). Nikola Tesla. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 10(4), 868-877. Web.
West, D. (2021). Nikola Tesla – The electrical genius who shaped the modern age. Owlcation. Web.