NIKOLA TESLA

THE ARTWORK BY NIKOLA TESLA IS PART OF THE “STARS & HEROS” SERIES. NIKOLA TESLA WAS AN ENGINEERING RESEARCHER AND INVENTOR. HIS LIFE'S WORK IS CHARACTERIZED BY NUMEROUS INNOVATIONS IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, ESPECIALLY ELECTRICAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, SUCH AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICAL ENERGY TRANSMISSION KNOWN TODAY AS TWO-PHASE ALTERNATING CURRENT.

TESLA RECEIVED OVER 280 PATENTS IN 26 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING 112 IN THE USA. TESLA CONTRADICTED THE THEORY THAT ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF SMALLER SUBATOMIC PARTICLES; HE MEANT THAT THERE IS NO ELECTRON THAT CREATES AN ELECTRIC CHARGE. HE BELIEVED THAT ELECTRONS, IF THEY EXISTED AT ALL, WERE A FOURTH STATE OF MATTER OR "SUBATOMS", THAT THESE COULD ONLY EXIST IN AN EXPERIMENTAL VACUUM AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ELECTRICITY.[57][75] TESLA BELIEVED THAT ATOMS WERE UNCHANGEABLE. HE BELIEVED IN A 19TH-CENTURY CONCEPT: AN OMNIPRESENT ETHER THAT TRANSMITTED ELECTRICAL ENERGY. TESLA WAS GENERALLY OPPOSED TO THEORIES ABOUT CONVERTING MATTER INTO ENERGY. HE ALSO CRITICIZED EINSTEIN'S THEORY OF RELATIVITY, SAYING: "I HOLD THAT SPACE CANNOT BE CURVED, FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT IT CANNOT HAVE PROPERTIES. YOU COULD JUST AS EASILY SAY THAT GOD HAS ATTRIBUTES... HE DOESN'T, JUST ATTRIBUTES AND THESE ARE OF OUR OWN MAKING. WE CAN ONLY SPEAK OF PROPERTIES WHEN IT COMES TO MATTER THAT FILLS SPACE. TO SAY THAT SPACE CURVES IN THE PRESENCE OF LARGE BODIES IS TANTAMOUNT TO SAYING THAT SOMETHING CANNOT ACT ON ANYTHING.” DISCIPLINES: CULTURE