O Nikoli Tesli

Želim napomenuti da među mnoštvom izvora koji govore o Teslinom životu, dosta ih se ne poklapa međusobno u raznim detaljima, od fizičkog izgleda do određenih odstupanja u kronologiji njegovog života. Tako se primjerice može pronaći podatak da je bio visok 198 cm, kao i podatak da je bio visok 188 cm. Ili 192 cm. Neki izvori navode da je  u SAD uplovio 7. travnja 1884., dok drugi izvori kao datum dolaska spominju 6. lipanj 1884. No, sva ta odstupanja su minorna u odnosu na odstupanja u tome  što ćete sve pronaći da je Tesla izjavio ili kakve stavove je imao na određene teme. Od odnosa spram žena, golubova i broja 3, preko toga da li je ili nije bio vegetarijanac i budista,  preko rivaliteta sa Edisonom, pa sve do pitanja svog nacionalnog identiteta.

Ja se u ovom osvrtu na njegovu biografiju neću zamarati dubinskom analizom i „traženjem dlake u jajetu“, nego ću iznijeti činjenice za koje sam poprilično siguran da su točne.

Nikola Tesla rođen je 9./10. srpnja 1856. u mjestu Smiljan kod Gospića. Njegov otac Milutin bio je pravoslavni svećenik, a njegova majka Georgina Mandić (zvana Đuka) bila je bez naobrazbe, ali vrlo inteligentna žena.

Osnovnu školu započeo je u Smiljanu, a završio u Gospiću (na njemačkom jeziku koji je tada bio službeni), gdje potom završava i nižu realnu gimnaziju.

Godine 1870. seli se u Rakovac nadomak Karlovca gdje će u iduće 3 godine završiti i Višu realnu gimnaziju. To je ujedno i jedina njegova školska svjedodžba jer kako će povijest pokazati, sveučilište u Grazu i Pragu nije nikada dovršio (iako je zbog zasluga kasnije dobio nekoliko počasnih doktorata, između ostalog sveučilišta u Grazu, Zagrebu i Parizu).

Čitao je sve moguće i nemoguće i to na njemačkom, mađarskom, češkom i hrvatskom jeziku. U Karlovcu se pod utjecajem profesora Sekulića počeo zanimati za tehniku. Predmet zvan “Slobodno crtanje” baš mu nije bio drag, ali tehnika i fizika su mu glavna preokupacija. Upravo se tu, u Karlovcu Tesla „zakačio“ za elektricitet. Tesla u svojoj autobiografskoj knjizi „Moji pronalasci“  kaže:
„Veoma sam se zainteresirao za elektricitet, potaknut utjecajem svog profesora fizike koji je bio genijalan čovjek, a često je demonstrirao osnovne zakone aparaturom koje bi sam izumio. Sjećam se jedne sprave u obliku staklenog balona, obavijenog staniolom, koji se brzo okretao kad je bio spojen s elektrostatičkim strojem. Ne mogu vam izraziti ni približno objasniti moje uzbuđenje dok sam prisustvovao njegovim pokusima s ovim tajanstvenim fenomenima. Svaki dojam proizveo je tisuće odjeka u mom mozgu. Želio sam o toj izvanrednoj snazi saznati više; žudio sam za pokusom, za istraživanjem, ali predao sam se teška srca sudbini.“

Naime, već i prije dolaska u Višu realnu gimnaziju, Nikola je bio predodređen da svoj životni put nastavi kao svećenik. Kako kaže sam Tesla u svojoj autobiografiji: “Svo vrijeme mog školovanja u Karlovcu moji se roditelji nikad nisu pokolebali  u odluci da me prisile da postanem svećenik, a mene je već sama pomisao na to ispunjavala užasom. Ali ipak sam se teška srca pomirio sa neizbježnim“.… nakon završetka školovanja u Karlovcu u ljeto 1873. po dolasku natrag u Gospić u kojem je baš vladala kolera Tesla piše: „Ja sam tu strašnu bolest navukao na sam dan povratka u Gospić, i iako sam preživio krizu, bio sam 9 mjeseci vezan za krevet gotovo nepokretan. Bio sam posve iscrpljen i drugi put sam se našao na samrti. Tijekom jedne od kriza za koju se mislilo da mi je i posljednja, u moju sobu je dojurio otac. I danas pamtim njegovo blijedo lice dok me pokušavao razvedriti. „Možda bih-rekao sam mu-mogao ozdraviti kad bi mi dopustio da studiram tehniku“. Moj je otac odgovorio „Pohađat ćeš najbolju tehničku ustanovu na svijetu“, a ja sam znao da to doista i misli. Da li od njegova obećanja ili, što je vjerojatnije, od čudesnog lijeka pripremljenog od gorkog ekstrakta određene vrste graha, na sveopće iznenađenje ja sam uskrsnuo poput Lazara. Moj je otac ustrajao da se godinu dana oporavljam zdravim tjelesnim vježbama na svježem zraku na što sam nevoljko pristao. No ne mogu poreći da mi je taj kontakt s prirodom okrijepio i tijelo i um.“

O svojem dolasku u Graz na Višu politehničku školu, Nikola piše:

„1875. su me poslali na Politehničku školu u Graz koju je moj otac smatrao za jednu od najuglednijih ustanova. To je bio trenutak koji sam s nestrpljenjem čekao i studij sam započeo sa čvrstom voljom da uspijem; odlučio sam iznenaditi roditelje i cijelu sam prvu godinu redovito počinjao raditi u tri sata ujutro i završavati svoj dan u 11 uvečer, čak i nedjeljama i blagdanima. Kako je većina mojih kolega studij shvaćala olako, naravno da sam nadmašio sve rekorde. Tijekom te godine položio sam 9 ispita i profesori su smatrali da zaslužujem i više od najboljih ocjena. Kad sam otišao kući na kratak odmor, oboružan tim laskavim svjedodžbama, umjesto trijumfalnog dočeka, iznenadilo me što je otac olako primio vijest o mojim teško stečenim počastima. To mi je zamalo uništilo ambicije, ali još me jače zaboljelo kad sam nakon njegove smrti pronašao pisma u kojima ga moji profesori obavještavaju  da ću umrijeti od prekomjernog rada, pa mu savjetuju da me ispiše iz škole.“

  1. – ukida se Vojna krajina i mladi Tesla kao njen stipendista gubi svoja prava, te cjelokupno bivanje u Grazu poprima znak neizvjesnosti. Tesla piše:“ …ne uspijevam završiti drugu godinu studija. Nastojeći pokriti troškove, odajem se kartanju, biljaru i kockanju.“

1878.g. – napušta Visoku politehničku školu u Grazu prije ispita na trećoj godini, te se vraća u Gospić gdje se nakratko zapošljava kao profesor u gimnaziji.

1880.g. – sada 24-godišnji Tesla odlazi u u Prag. Ne uspijeva se upisati na Sveučilište, ali posjećuje predavanja i odlazi u biblioteku, gdje prati novosti iz elektrotehnike.

1881.g. – U Budimpešti se zapošljava u Centralnom telegrafskom uredu Ugarske na mjestu tehničkog crtača. Sudjeluje u izgradnji prve telefonske centrale u tom gradu i dvije godine radi na širenju telefonske mreže. O tim godinama govori: „Znanje i iskustvo koje sam stekao na tom položaju bilo mi je osobito vrijedno jer sam imao mnoštvo prilika za vježbanje  mojih pronalazačkih sposobnosti. Upravo u Budimpešti se 1882. godine desio čudesni događaj mog prvog velikog pronalaska – sustava višefaznih izmjeničnih struja sa pripadajućim električnim motorom. U jednom bljesku inspiracije zamislio sam primjenu višefaznih izmjeničnih struja za ostvarenje okretnoga magnetskoga polja koje bi uzrokovalo vrtnju u elektromotoru. No, stvarno materijalno ostvarenje tog bljeska morati će pričekati još dosta godina, premda mi je jasnoća moje vizije bila davala apsolutno povjerenje da jednom kada provedem u djelo svoje otkriće, da će sve funkcionirati baš kako je u mojoj glavi i predviđeno.“

U jesen 1882. Tesla dolazi u Pariz i zapošljava se u Edisonovoj tvrtki koju vodi g. Charles Batchellor, Edisonov osobni prijatelj. Tesla o tom vremenu kaže: „Moj posao je bio da putujem s kraja na kraj Francuske i Njemačke rješavati probleme po elektranama. Po povratku u Pariz, jednom od činovnika poduzeća predao sam nacrt za usavršavanje njihovih dinama i on mi je ponudio priliku koju sam iskoristio na najbolji način – potpunim uspjehom mojih preinaka na automatskim regulatorima.

1884.g. – g. Bachellor predlaže Tesli da ode u Ameriku, gdje bi usavršavao Edisonove strojeve.  Svoj put do Amerike Tesla opisuje: „Odlučio sam sreću okušati u zemlji velikih mogućnosti, ali prilika mi je skoro izmakla. Naime, unovčio sam svoju skromnu imovinu, osigurao smještaj i na željezničkom kolodvoru se našao u trenutku kad je vlak polazio. No u tom času sam otkrio da su mi nestali i novac i karte. Ipak sam se nekako uspio ukrcati na brod s ostatkom svoje imovine, nekoliko pjesama i članaka koje sam napisao, kao i snopom proračuna povezanih sa rješavanjem jednog nerješivog integrala.“ Po dolasku u obećanu zemlju, mladi 28-godišnji Tesla je bio pun očekivanja zbog susreta sa svojim idolom – Thomasom Edisonom.

U svojoj autobiografiji kaže: „Susret sa Edisonom nezaboravan je događaj u mojem životu. Bio sam zadivljen tim krasnim čovjekom koji je toliko postigao bez prednosti znanstvenog obrazovanja. Ja sam učio desetak jezika, proučavao književnost i umjetnost te najbolje godine proveo u knjižnicama čitajući sve što mi je dospjelo pod ruke, pa mi se činilo da sam potratio većinu života. Ali ubrzo sam uvidio da je to bila najbolja stvar koju sam mogao učiniti. Pismo preporuke koje mi je napisao osobno g. Batchellor i koje sam predao g. Edisonu glasilo je: “Gospodine Edison, poznajem dva velika čovjeka. Jedan ste vi, a drugi je mladić koji stoji pred Vama”. U nekoliko tjedana sam stekao Edisonovu naklonost, ali ne zbog pisma ma koliko mi ono bilo laskavo. Naime, poslan sam na teško ostvariv zadatak popravka nekog brodskog generatora koji je ugrađen u brod prije sastavljanja broda pa ga nije bilo moguće više izvaditi radi popravka. Navečer sam uzeo potrebne instrumente i otišao na brod gdje sam proveo noć. U 5 sati ujutro, po uspješno obavljenom popravku, vraćao sam se Petom avenijom na putu ka radionici, sreo sam g. Edisona i još nekolicinu drugih koji su se vraćali na počinak. „Evo našeg Parižanina koji se skiće noću“ rekao je Edison. Kad sam mu odgovorio da se vraćam sa broda i da sam popravio oba generatora, nijemo me gledao i nije ništa odgovorio… Nakon toga sam imao punu slobodu u vođenju posla.  Gotovo godinu dana moje je radno vrijeme bilo od deset i pol ujutro do 5 ujutro drugog dana, i tako svaki dan bez iznimke. U tom sam razdoblju osmislio 24 različita tipa strojeva koji su zamijenili originalne stare. Upravitelj mi je obećao 50.000 dolara kad završim taj zadatak, no ispalo je da se samo našalio sa mnom. Za mene je to bio bolan šok i ja dajem otkaz.“

Godina 1886. je možda bila i najteže razdoblje Teslinog boravka u Americi, uzdržavao se teškim fizičkim radom na polaganju kabela i izgradnji njujorške kanalizacije za nadnicu od dva dolara dnevno. To je trajalo sve do travnja 1887. kada Tesla upoznaje grupu investitora i uz njihovu pomoć osnovana je Tesla Electric Company gdje je napokon imao i laboratorij i svu potrebnu opremu.

O tom preokretu Tesla kaže: „Napokon sam mogao početi ostvarivati u stvarnosti svoje ideje koje su mi još u Budimpešti prije 5 godina na tako čudesan način obznanile. Motori koje sam napravio bili su točno onakvi kakve sam ih i zamišljao. Nisam niti pokušavao usavršiti  nacrt nego sam samo reproducirao slike  koje su mi se pojavljivale u mislima i motori su uvijek radili točno kako sam i predvidio.“ 

1887.g. – Tesla prijavljuje svoje možda i najvažnije patente: višefazni sustav prijenosa električne energije, indukcijski motor te odgovarajuće transformatore i generatore.

Jedan događaj će mu otvoriti nova vrata. Naime 1888. Američkom društvu elektroinženjera (AIEE) drži predavanje o prednostima izmjenične struje (U Pittsburghu ) gdje ga uočava g.  George Westinghouse i potpisuje ugovore za Westinghouse Electric Company za proizvodnju motora na veliko. To je dovelo do sukoba između Edisonova direktnog sustava i Tesla-Westinghouseovog izmjeničnog pristupa, kojeg su novinari ubrzo prozvali „Rat struja“.

RAT STRUJA

Naime, Edison je bio veliki zagovornik i što je možda i najvažnije, vlasnik brojnih patenata na proizvodnju i distribuciju istosmjerne struje (engl. Direct Current – DC), što mu je donosilo znatna financijska sredstva. Edison je razvio istosmjernu struju – struju koja neprestano radi u jednom smjeru, poput baterije ili gorivne ćelije. Tijekom prvih godina električne energije, istosmjerna struja bila je standard u SAD-u, ali postojao je jedan problem. Istosmjernoj struji nije lako mijenjati frekvenciju i/ili napon. Također, gubici pri prijenosu bili su enormni, toliko veliki da niste mogli imati koristi toliko da upalite žarulju na udaljenosti od svega par km od generatora, a kamoli da pokrećete teške industrijske strojeve. Tesla je pak uočio da je izmjenična struja rješenje ovog problema. Izmjenična struja obrće smjer određeni broj puta u sekundi i može se relativno lako pretvoriti u različite napone pomoću transformatora (engl. Alternating Current – AC). Edison je (ne želeći izgubiti tantijeme koje je zarađivao od svojih patenata) započeo kampanju diskreditacije izmjenične struje. Širio je dezinformacije rekavši da je izmjenična struja opasnija, čak idući toliko daleko da je elektrificirao životinje koristeći izmjeničnu struju da bi dokazao svoje stajalište. Na Edisonov je poticaj smišljena i „električna stolica“, kojom je nastojao dodatno diskreditirati izmjeničnu struju.

  1. g. – Svjetski sajam u Chicagu – poznat i kao Svjetska kolumbijska izložba 1893. godine, i bio je prijelomni trenutak u Teslinom životu. Edisonov General Electric ponudio je da elektrificira sajam koristeći istosmjernu struju, ali je izgubio od Georgea Westinghousea i Tesline izmjenične struje. Kažu da je mnoštvo ostalo zapanjeno ljepotom i snagom Tesline AC na dan otvorenja, ukupno 100.000 žarulja je noć pretvorilo u dan, za što je postavljeno 12 generatora snage po 1000 konjskih snaga svaki. Ukupno je izložbu posjetilo 27 milijuna ljudi, i zauvijek promijenilo svijest o tome kako će izgledati svijet budućnosti. Sam Tesla kaže: „Kad se samo sjetim kako je izložba bila bogata: izložili smo razvodnu ploču, višefazne generatore, pojačivačke transformatore, dalekovod, silazne transformatore, indukcijske motore komercijalne veličine i sinkrone motore, te rotacijske pretvarače istosmjerne struje (uključujući i željeznički motor potpuno spreman za primjenu). Kako bismo lakšim učinili shvaćanje funkcioniranja AC struje, rotirajuće magnetsko polje koje je pokretalo ove motore objašnjeno je kroz niz demonstracija, uključujući Kolumbovo jaje. Sve je bilo prikazano kako bi omogućili javnosti pogled na sustav višefazne snage koji se može prenositi na velike udaljenosti i koristiti, uključujući opskrbu istosmjernom strujom. Mjerni instrumenti i drugi pomoćni uređaji također su bili prisutni.“

Iste godine, u jesen 1893,  Niagara Falls Power Company je odlučila dodijeliti Westinghouseu ugovor za proizvodnju električne energije iz Niagarinih slapova. Na čelu komisije bio je Lord Kelvin, poznati britanski fizičar, koji se suprotstavljao izmjeničnoj struji sve dok nije prisustvovao izložbi u Chicagu. Sada, snažni pobornik izmjenične struje, Kelvin i njegova komisija zatražili su od Westinghousea da koristi izmjeničnu struju. Iako su neki sumnjali da bi slapovi mogli pokrenuti cijeli Buffalo (oko 35 km daleko, čak 10 puta dalje nego je to bilo ostvarivo sa istosmjernom strujom), Tesla je bio uvjeren da bi mogao napajati ne samo Buffalo, već i cijeli istočni dio SAD-a.

  1. studenoga 1896. Buffalo je osvijetlila izmjenična struja sa slapova Niagara. Unutar 3 godine, Niagara je imala 10 generatora, a dalekovodi su došli i do New Yorka koji je nezamislivih 600 km daleko. Nakon toga je i General Electric također odlučio uskočiti na vlak naizmjenične struje. Time je pobjeda izmjenične struje nad istosmjernim sustavima bila definitivna. Kažu da je prilikom ovog velikog trijumfa, Tesla rekao: „Na kraju krajeva, ova centrala i nije tako važna. Ona je samo praktična primjena teorija koje već dugo poznajemo. Umjesto da si čestitamo trebali bismo se sramiti što je nismo sagradili prije. Pravi je posao tek pred nama.“

BEŽIČNI PRIJENOS STRUJE:

Već od 1887. godine i svojih prvih patenata, Tesla se počeo se zanimati za postizanje visokih frekvencija. On sam za to razdoblje kaže: „Znao sam za tehnološke prednosti viših frekvencija (efikasniji transport energije, veća iskoristivost rasvjetnih tijela, manja opasnost jer struje viših frekvencija mogu teći tijelom bez ozlijede) i osnovni cilj mi je bio postići približno frekvenciju sunčeve svjetlosti te osmisliti svjetiljke revolucionarne jakosti i dizajna. To bi, nadao sam se, uklonilo Edisonovu žarulju koja je na rasvjetu koristila samo 5% raspoložive energije.“

Rezultat tog istraživanja je električki sklop danas poznat kao Teslin transformator. Patentiran 1891. god., ovaj izum je pretvarao običnu struju iz domaćinstva (50/60 Hz) u ekstremno visoke frekvencije – stotine tisuća Hertza. Uz to, sklop je stvarao i visoke napone. Koristeći taj transformator, Tesla je dizajnirao od prvih neonskih i fluorescentinh rasvjetnih tijela. Također je prvi napravio  snimke ljudskih kostiju, danas poznate kao Röntgenske snimke. Tesla je bio blizu kraja svojih istraživanja i objavljivanja u stručnim časopisima 1894. i početkom 1895.g., ali požar koji je izbio u njegovu laboratoriju uništio je njegov rad. Njemački znanstvenik Rontgen objavio je svoja otkrića te 1895. godine i pobrao zasluge i svjetsku slavu. Tesla nije imao izbora nego čestitati g. Rontgenu.

Daljnja istraživanja su ga dovela do primanja i slanja jakih radio signala, rezonirajući na njihovoj frekvenciji. 1895. Tesla se spremao odaslati signal 50 milja od izvora, no već spomenuti požar koji je izbio u njegovu laboratoriju uništio je njegov rad.

Kako je njegova pozornost ponajprije bila usmjerena na bežični prijenos električne energije, Tesla je 1897. izgradio veliku odašiljačku i prijamnu postaju na osami u Colorado Springsu i u njoj je usavršavao sustave za bežični prijenos signala i električne energije, uz primjenu napona od nekoliko milijuna volta. Tako je upalio 200 žarulja koje nisu bile povezane žicom na udaljenosti od 40 kilometara. Tesla je podnio svoj patent za radio 1897. u Americi i on je odobren 1900. Činjenica koja neosporno dokazuje Teslin primat u otkriću radio valova i njihove uspješne primjene je njegova demonstracija radio upravljanog broda koju je održao pred začuđenom publikom 1898. godine u New Yorku. Kažu da je nevjerica u publici bila tolika da su ga prozivali vještcem ili pak prevarantom te je na kraju demonstracije morao brod izvaditi iz vode i rastvoriti ga kako bi se publika uvjerila da u njemu nije skriven nitko (brod je bio dug 1,2 metra pa se mogao u njega „smjestiti dječak“).

Za to je vrijeme u Engleskoj mladi Talijan Gugliermo Marconi radio na izradi bežičnog telegrafa. Sam Marconijev sklop nije mogao primati i slati signale na velike udaljenosti, pa je kasnije, koristeći Teslin oscilator, izradio sustav koji je mogao odašiljati preko engleskog kanala. Marconijev patent, koji je bio podnesen u studenom 1900., bio je odbijen. Na samom isteku 1901. Marconi je prvi odaslao i primio signale preko Atlantskog oceana. Iako je Tesla znao da je Marconi bio uspješan poglavito zahvaljujući njegovim izumima (njih 17) nije bio zabrinut. No, njegova mirnoća je bila razbijena 1904. kada je Patenetni ured  SAD-a poništio svoju odluku iz 1900. i patent za radio predao Marconiju. Odgovor te zagonetke nikada nije bio riješen do kraja, no Marconijevo financijsko zaleđe u Americi može biti jedan od razloga (između ostalog uživao je potporu g. Edisona).

  1. god. Marconiju je dodijeljena Nobelova nagrada za izum radija, što je Teslu sasvim razbjesnilo. Tužio je Marconijevu tvrtku za krađu izuma, no u njegovom financijskom položaju nije si mogao priuštiti tužbu protiv moćne korporacije.

Usprkos povećanoj ekscentričnosti, Tesla je i dalje imao plodonosne ideje. Na početku prvog svjetskog rata, Tesla je razvio ideju za detekciju brodova na moru. Ideja je bila da se emitiraju visokofrekventni valovi koji će se odbijati od oplate brodovlja i to signalizirali na fluorescentnom ekranu. Ideja je, još jednom, bila previše ispred svog vremena, no bio je to prvi opis radara. Tesla je prvi nagovijestio eru eksplozivnih beskrilnih letjelica koje će daljinskim upravljanjem sletjeti na „neslutećeg neprijatelja“.

Kada je imao 65 godina (1922.) Nikola Tesla se još oblačio besprijekorno. No prijatelji su primijetili da mu je odjeća, kao i njegove teorije, postajale zastarjele. Radio je kao inženjer – savjetnik, no njegova rješenja problema bi se klijentima često činila nepraktična.

Njegova suradnja s američkim patentnim uredom, međutim, nije još prestala. 1928. god., u dobi od 72 godine, Tesla je prijavio svoj zadnji patent: „Naprava za zračni transport“. Ovaj briljantno dizajniran leteći stroj ličio je na kombinaciju helikoptera i aviona. Po njemu, naprava bi težila 363 kg, mogla bi uzletjeti iz garaže, s krova ili s prozora, a koštala bi 1000 $ za vojne ili komercijalne svrhe. Izum je bio prototip za današnji VSTOL zrakoplov. Nažalost, Tesla nikad nije smogao financija za izradu letjelice.

  1. mladi novinar s kojim se Tesla sprijateljio, Kenneth M. Swezey, organizirao je proslavu za izumiteljev 75. rođendan. Tesla je primio čestitke od više od 70 pionira u znanosti i inženjerstvu, uključujući Alberta Einsteina, a bio je i na naslovnici časopisa Time.

U zoru drugog svjetskog rata na naslovnici New York Timesa je pisalo: „Tesla, u dobi od 78 godina, izumio zraku smrti“. U članku piše da će zraka slati koncentrirani snop čestica kroz zrak, tolike energije da može srušiti flotu od 10 000 aviona na udaljenosti od 250 milja (402 km). Tesla je rekao da će zraka spriječiti ratove jer bi svaka zemlja mogla postaviti „nepobjedivi Kineski zid“. No, ovo je otkriće i danas obavijeno velom tajni. Možemo samo pretpostaviti da je Tesla bio na tragu nekoj vrsti lasera, koji je službeno otkriven tek 1952.

Nikola Tesla umire 7.1.1943. u svojoj sobi 3327 u hotelu New Yorker. Imao je 87 godina. Kremiran je i pokopan u New Yorku.

ZANIMLJIVA ČINJENICA O DOGAĐAJIMA NEPOSREDNO NAKON SMRTI:

Dva dana nakon Tesline smrti FBI  je naložio da se oduzmu Tesline stvari. Osoba pozvana da analizira Tesline predmete je bila John G. Trump, profesor na M.I.T. i poznati inženjer elektrotehnike. To je bio stric danas puno popularnijeg (sad već bivšeg) predsjednika SAD-a, Donalda J. Trumpa. Nakon trodnevne istrage, Trumpov izvještaj zaključio je da ne postoji ništa što bi predstavljalo opasnost u neprijateljskim rukama.

Tesline stvari predane su u vlasništvo njegovom nećaku Savi Kosanoviću, koji ih je prenio u Beograd nakon završetka Drugog svjetskog rata i koje i danas čine sastavni dio muzeja Nikole Tesle. Godine 1957., prenešena je i urna sa Teslinim pepelom u Beograd i nalazi se također u Teslinom muzeju.

Nikola Tesla je iza sebe ostavio ostavštinu od 278 patenata prijavljenih u 26 zemalja, od toga u SAD-u njih točno 12 ( u razdoblju između 1885. i 1921.)  Mnoge svoje izume koji su bili ispred svog vremena iz raznoraznih razloga nije uspio patentirati, tako da bi potpuna lista bila još i opsežnija.

English:

INITIAL NOTE: I want to mention that among the many sources that talk about Tesla’s life, many of them do not match each other in various details, from physical appearance to certain deviations in the chronology of his life. Thus, for example, one can find the fact that he was 198 cm tall, as well as the fact that he was 188 cm tall. Or 192 cm. Some sources state that he sailed into the United States on April 7, 1884, while other sources mention June 6, 1884, as the date of his arrival. But all these deviations are minor in relation to the deviations in the fact that you will find everything that Tesla stated or what attitudes he had on certain topics.. From the attitude towards women, pigeons and number 3, through whether or not he was a vegetarian and Buddhist, through rivalry with Edison, to the question of his national identity. In this review of his biography, I will not bother with in-depth analysis, but I will rather  set forth the facts which I can claim with great certainty to be correct..

 Nikola Tesla was born on October 9th. July 1856 in Smiljan near Gospić. His father Milutin was an Orthodox priest, and his mother Georgina Mandic (aka Djuka) was uneducated but a very intelligent woman. He started primary school in Smiljan and finished in Gospić (in German, which was the official language at the time), where he then finished the “Lower Real High school”.

In 1870 he moved to Rakovac near Karlovac, where he would finish the “Higher Real High School” in the next 3 years. It is also his only school certificate because, as history will show, he never graduated from the University of Graz and Prague (although he later received several honorary doctorates due to his merits, including the universities of Graz, Zagreb and Paris). He read everything he could lay his hands on in German, Hungarian, Czech and Croatian. In Karlovac, under the influence of Professor Sekulić, he became interested in technology. “Free drawing” didn’t go well for him, but technique and physics are his main preoccupations.

It was there, in Karlovac, that Tesla “hooked up” to electricity. In his autobiographical book “My Inventions”, Tesla says: “I became very interested in electricity, motivated by the influence of my physics professor, who was a man of genius, and he often demonstrated the basic laws with equipment that he would invent himself. I remember one device in the shape of a glass balloon, wrapped in tinfoil, which spun quickly when connected to an electrostatic machine. I cannot express or even explain to you my excitement as I attended his experiments with these mysterious phenomena. Each impression produced thousands of echoes in my brain. I wanted to know more about that extraordinary power; I longed for experimentation, for research, but I surrendered with a heavy heart to fate. ” Namely, even before coming to the Higher Real Gymnasium, Nikola was destined to continue his life as a priest. As Tesla himself says in his autobiography: “Throughout my schooling in Karlovac, my parents never wavered in their decision to force me to become a priest, and the very thought of it filled me with horror. But still, I reconciled myself with the inevitable with a heavy heart. ”

After finishing school in Karlovac in the summer of 1873, after returning to Gospić, where there was outbreak of cholera, Tesla got sick on the first day. In the book, he wrote: “Although I survived the crisis, I was bedridden for almost 9 months almost immobile. I was completely exhausted and the second time I found myself dying. During one of the crises that was thought to be my last, my father rushed into my room. I still remember his pale face as he tried to cheer me up. “Maybe — I told him — I could get better if he let me study technique.” My father replied, “You’re going to attend the best technical school in the world,” and I knew he really meant it. Whether from his promise or, more likely, from a miraculous remedy prepared from the bitter extract of a certain kind of bean, to everyone’s surprise I was resurrected like Lazarus. My father insisted that I recover for a year with healthy physical exercises in the fresh air, to which I reluctantly agreed. But I can’t deny that this contact with nature has strengthened my body and mind. “

About his arrival in Graz at the Polytechnic College, Nikola writes: „1875. they sent me to the Polytechnic School in Graz, which my father considered one of the most prestigious institutions. It was a moment I looked forward to and I began my studies with a firm will to succeed; I decided to surprise my parents and for the first year I started working regularly at three in the morning and finishing my day at 11 in the evening, even on Sundays and holidays. As most of my colleagues took the study lightly, of course I surpassed all records. During that year, I passed 9 exams and the professors felt I deserved more than the best grades. When I went home for a short rest, armed with these flattering testimonies, instead of a triumphant welcome, I was surprised that my father had lightly received the news of my hard-earned honors. It almost ruined my ambitions, but it hurt me even more when after his death I found letters in which my professors informed me that I would die from overwork, so they advised him to drop me out of school. “

1876 – young Tesla loses his scholarship holder rights, and the entire stay in Graz takes on a sign of uncertainty. Tesla writes: “I fail to finish my second year of study. Trying to cover the costs, I indulge in card games, billiards and gambling.”

1878 – left the Polytechnic High School in Graz before the exam in the third year, and returned to Gospić where he was briefly employed as a high school teacher.

1880 – Now 24-year-old Tesla is going to Prague. He fails to enroll at the University, but attends lectures and goes to the library, where he follows news from electrical engineering.

1881 – In Budapest, he is employed by the Central Telegraph Office of Hungary as a technical draftsman. He participated in the construction of the first telephone exchange in that city and worked for two years on expanding the telephone network. He says about those years: “The knowledge and experience I gained in that position was especially valuable to me because I had many opportunities to practice my inventive abilities. It was in Budapest in 1882 that the miraculous event of my first great invention took place – a system of multiphase alternating currents with an associated electric motor. In one flash of inspiration, I imagined the application of multiphase alternating currents to achieve a rotating magnetic field that would cause rotation in an electric motor. But the real material realization of that flash will have to wait many more years, although the clarity of my vision gave me absolute confidence that once I put my discovery into action, everything would work exactly as it was intended in my head. “

In the fall of 1882, Tesla came to Paris and was employed by Edison’s company run by Mr. Charles Batchellor, Edison’s personal friend. Tesla says of that time: “My job was to travel from end to end in France and Germany to solve problems at power plants. Upon my return to Paris, I handed over to one of the company officials a blueprint for perfecting their dunes and he offered me the opportunity I took advantage of in the best way – with the complete success of my modifications to the automatic regulators.

1884 – Mr. Bachellor suggests to Tesla that he go to America, where he would perfect Edison’s machines. Tesla describes his trip to America: “I decided to try my luck in a country of great opportunities, but I almost missed the opportunity. Namely, I cashed in my modest property, provided accommodation and found myself at the train station at the time the train was leaving. But at that moment, I discovered that I had run out of money and tickets. Yet I somehow managed to board the ship with the rest of my possessions, a few songs and articles I wrote, as well as a bundle of budgets related to solving an unsolvable integral.” Upon arriving in the Promised Land, the young 28-year-old Tesla was full of anticipation. with his idol – Thomas Edison. In his autobiography, he says: “Meeting Edison is an unforgettable event in my life. I was amazed by this wonderful man who has achieved so much without the benefits of scientific education. I learned a dozen languages, studied literature and art, and spent my best years in libraries reading everything I could get my hands on, so it seemed to me that I had wasted most of my life. But I soon realized that was the best thing I could do. A letter of recommendation written to me personally by Mr. Batchellor and handed to Mr. Edison read, “Mr. Edison, I know two great men. One is you, and the other is the young man standing before you.” In a few weeks I had won Edison’s favor, but not because of the letter, no matter how flattering it was. Namely, I was sent on the difficult task of repairing a ship’s generator that was installed in the ship before the ship was assembled, so it was no longer possible to remove it for repair. In the evening I took the necessary instruments and went to the boat where I spent the night. At 5 a.m., after a successful repair, I was returning to Fifth Avenue on my way to the workshop, I met Mr. Edison and a few others who were returning to rest. “Here’s our Parisian sketching at night,” Edison said. When I told him that I was coming back from the ship and that I had repaired both generators, he looked at me silently and did not answer anything … After that I had full freedom in running the business. For almost a year my working hours were from ten-thirty in the morning to 5 in the morning of the second day, and so every day without exception. During this period, I designed 24 different types of machines that replaced the original old ones. The manager promised me $ 50,000 when I completed that assignment, but it turned out he was just joking with me. It was a painful shock for me and I am resigning. “

The year 1886 was perhaps the most difficult period of Tesla’s stay in America, he supported himself with hard physical work on laying cables and building a New York sewer for a salary of two dollars a day. This lasted until April 1887 when Tesla met a group of investors and with their help the Tesla Electric Company was founded where he finally had a laboratory and all the necessary equipment. About this turnaround, Tesla says: “I was finally able to start realizing my ideas in reality, which were announced to me in such a miraculous way in Budapest 5 years ago. The engines I made were exactly as I had imagined them. I didn’t even try to perfect the design, I just reproduced the images that came to my mind and the engines always worked exactly as I had predicted. “

1887 – Tesla applies for its perhaps most important patents: a multi-phase power transmission system, an induction motor and appropriate transformers and generators. One event will open new doors for him. Namely, in 1888 he gave a lecture to the American Society of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) on the advantages of alternating current (in Pittsburgh) where he was spotted by Mr. George Westinghouse and signed contracts for the Westinghouse Electric Company for the production of motors wholesale. This led to a conflict between Edison’s direct system and Tesla-Westinghouse’s alternating approach, which journalists soon dubbed the “War of the Currents.”

 WAR OF THE CURRENTS

Edison was a great advocate and, perhaps most importantly, the owner of numerous patents for the production and distribution of direct current (DC), which brought him considerable financial resources. During the early years of electricity, direct current was the standard in the United States, but there was one problem. It is not easy to change the frequency and / or voltage of direct current. Also, the transmission losses were enormous, so great that you couldn’t benefit so much from turning on the light bulb at a distance of just a few miles from the generator, let alone running heavy industrial machines. Tesla, on the other hand, noticed that alternating current was the solution to this problem. Alternating current can be relatively easily converted to different voltages by a transformer. Edison (not wanting to lose the royalties he earned from his patents) began a campaign to discredit the alternating current. He spread misinformation saying that alternating current is more dangerous, even going so far as to electrify animals using alternating current to prove his point. At Edison’s instigation, an “electric chair” was designed, with which he tried to further discredit the alternating current.

1883 – The World’s Fair in Chicago – also known as the World’s Columbia Exhibition in 1893, was a turning point in Tesla’s life. Edison’s General Electric offered to electrify the fair using direct current, but lost to George Westinghouse and Tesla’s alternating current. They say that the crowd was amazed by the beauty and power of Tesla’s system on the opening day, a total of 100,000 light bulbs turned night into day. In total, the exhibition was visited by 27 million people, and forever changed the awareness of what the world of the future will look like.

That same year, in the fall of 1893, the Niagara Falls Power Company decided to award Westinghouse a contract to produce electricity from Niagara Falls. The commission was headed by Lord Kelvin, a famous British physicist, who resisted alternating current until he attended an exhibition in Chicago. Now, a strong supporter of alternating current, Kelvin and his commission have asked Westinghouse to use alternating current. Although some doubted that the waterfalls could run the entire Buffalo (about 35 km away, even 10 times farther than was feasible with direct current), Tesla was convinced that it could power not only Buffalo, but the entire eastern United States. And. On November 16, 1896, Buffalo was illuminated by alternating current from Niagara Falls. Within 3 years, Niagara had 10 generators, and power lines also reached New York which is an unimaginable 600 km away. After that, General Electric also decided to hop on an AC train. Thus, the victory of alternating current over direct current systems was definitive. They say that during this great triumph, Tesla said: “After all, this power plant is not so important. It is only a practical application of theories we have known for a long time. Instead of congratulating ourselves, we should be ashamed that we didn’t build it before. The real work is just ahead of us. “

WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION:

As early as 1887 and its first patents, Tesla began to take an interest in achieving high frequencies. He himself says for that period: “I knew about the technological advantages of higher frequencies and my main goal was to achieve approximately the frequency of sunlight and to design lamps of revolutionary strength and design. That, I hoped, would remove Edison’s light bulb, which used only 5% of the available energy for lighting. ” The result of that research is an electrical circuit known today as Tesla’s transformer. Patented in 1891, this invention converted ordinary household current (50/60 Hz) to extremely high frequencies – hundreds of thousands of Hertz. In addition, the circuit also generated high voltages. Using this transformer, Tesla designed some of the first neon and fluorescent lighting fixtures. He was also the first to make images of human bones, known today as X-rays. Tesla was near the end of his research and publication in professional journals in 1894 and early 1895, but a fire that broke out in his laboratory destroyed his work. The German scientist Rontgen published his discoveries later that 1895 and garnered merit and world fame. Tesla had no choice but to congratulate Mr. Rontgen. Further research led him to receive and send strong radio signals, resonating at their frequency. In 1895, Tesla was preparing to send a signal 50 miles from the source, but the already mentioned fire that broke out in his laboratory destroyed his work.

As his attention was primarily focused on wireless transmission of electricity, in 1897 Tesla built a large transmitting and receiving station in solitude in Colorado Springs and in it perfected systems for wireless transmission of signals and electricity, using voltages of several million volts. So he lit 200 light bulbs that were not connected by wire at a distance of 40 kilometers. Tesla filed his patent for radio in 1897 in America and it was granted in 1900. A fact that indisputably proves Tesla’s primacy in the discovery of radio waves and their successful application is his demonstration of a radio-controlled ship he held in front of an astonished audience in 1898 in New York. They say that the disbelief in the audience was so great that they called him a witch or a fraud.

During this time in England, a young Italian, Gugliermo Marconi, was working on a wireless telegraph. Marconi’s circuit itself could not receive and send signals over long distances, so later, using Tesla’s oscillator, he developed a system that could transmit via the English channel. Marconi’s patent, filed in November 1900, was denied. At the very end of 1901, Marconi was the first to send and receive signals across the Atlantic Ocean. Although Tesla knew that Marconi was successful mainly thanks to his inventions (17 of them) he was not worried. But his composure was shattered in 1904 when the U.S. Patent Office overturned its 1900 decision and handed over the radio patent to Marconi. The answer to that riddle was never completely solved, but Marconi’s financial background in America may be one of the reasons (he enjoyed Mr. Edison’s support, among other things).

1911 Marconi was awarded the Nobel Prize for the invention of radio, which completely infuriated Tesla. He sued Marconi’s company for stealing the invention, but in his financial position he could not afford a lawsuit against the powerful corporation.

Despite the increased eccentricity, Tesla still had fruitful ideas. At the beginning of the First World War, Tesla developed the idea for the detection of ships at sea. The idea was to emit high-frequency waves that would bounce off the ship’s hull and signal it on a fluorescent screen. The idea was, once again, too far ahead of its time, but it was the first description of radar. Tesla was the first to hint at the era of explosive wingless spacecraft that would land on an “unsuspecting enemy” by remote control.

When he was 65 (1922), Nikola Tesla still dressed flawlessly. But friends noticed that his clothes, as well as his theories, were becoming obsolete. He worked as an engineer-consultant, but his solutions to problems would often seem impractical to clients. His collaboration with the U.S. Patent Office, however, has not yet ended.

In 1928, at the age of 72, Tesla applied for his last patent: “Air Transport Device”. This brilliantly designed flying machine resembled a combination of helicopter and airplane. According to him, the device would weigh 363 kg, could take off from a garage, roof or window, and would cost $ 1,000 for military or commercial purposes. The invention was a prototype for today’s VSTOL aircraft. Unfortunately, Tesla never managed to finance the construction of the spacecraft.

In 1931, a young journalist with whom Tesla befriended, Kenneth M. Swezey, organized a celebration for the inventor’s 75th birthday. Tesla received congratulations from more than 70 pioneers in science and engineering, including Albert Einstein, and was also on the cover of Time magazine.

At the dawn of World War II, the cover of the New York Times read: “Tesla, at the age of 78, invented the ray of death.” The article says that the air will send a concentrated beam of particles through the air, so much energy that it can crash a fleet of 10,000 planes at a distance of 250 miles (402 km). Tesla said the air would prevent wars because any country could erect an “invincible Great Wall of China.” But this discovery is still shrouded in mystery. We can only assume that Tesla was on the trail of some kind of laser, which was officially discovered only in 1952.

Nikola Tesla died on January 7, 1943. in his room 3327 at the New Yorker Hotel. He was 87 years old. He was cremated and buried in New York.

INTERESTING FACT ABOUT EVENTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH: Two days after Tesla’s death, the FBI ordered that Tesla’s belongings be confiscated. The person invited to analyze Tesla’s subjects was John G. Trump, a professor at M.I.T. and a renowned electrical engineer. He was the uncle of today’s much more popular (now former) US President, Donald J. Trump. After a three-day investigation, the Trump report concluded that there was nothing to pose a danger in enemy hands.

Tesla’s belongings were handed over to his nephew Sava Kosanović, who transferred them to Belgrade after the end of the Second World War and which still form an integral part of the Nikola Tesla Museum.

In 1957, an urn with Tesla’s ashes was transferred to Belgrade and is also in the Tesla Museum.

Nikola Tesla left behind a legacy of over 300 patents filed in 26 countries (some of which are repeated due to local laws of individual countries), of which exactly 112 in the United States (between 1885 and 1921). Many of his inventions who were ahead of their time for various reasons failed to patent, so the complete list would be even more extensive.