Electrifying Service To Mankind

_{Nikola Tesla, engineer, and inventor}

Electricity is an essential utility that powers and sustains the world's energy needs. It has provided mankind with unlimited opportunities and has led the way for rapid economic development around the world. I want to use this medium to appreciate an individual who made significant contributions to this field. The individual is none other than Nikola Tesla.

Who is Nikola Tesla? Nikola Tesla is a renowned Serbian-American innovator and engineer who made a lot of contributions in the fields of engineering and technology with his numerous inventions most notably in the area of electricity. He was born in Smiljan, Croatia (formerly known as the Austrian Empire) in 1856 to Mulitin and Duka Tesla. It is interesting to note that a prolific inventor like Tesla did not obtain a degree for studying engineering and physics in college as he performed poorly in his academics towards the end of his course of study. However, this setback did not prevent Tesla from pursuing his interests in electrical engineering and new emerging technologies. Tesla also excelled in other areas besides his scientific work. He was also a linguist who was proficient in eight languages!

Tesla later moved to the United States of America in 1884 to work for Thomas Edison in one of his company's electric manufacturing divisions in New York, USA. Thomas Edison was one of the famous inventors and businessmen during this period. Before getting this job, Tesla had also worked in one of Edison's companies in Paris, France. After working for Edison for some months Tesla quit his job and went on to establish his electric utility and manufacturing company. This venture was unsuccessful as his investment partners did not have confidence in it and opted out later.

_{Tesla's AC induction motor}

Undeterred by this incident, Tesla set up another electric company with new partners who believed in his inventions. During this period he built an induction motor that was driven by alternating current (AC). This innovation was in high demand as it was compatible with a model of the electric power system: alternating current, that was gaining traction in several countries in Europe and the US because of the benefits it offers for transmission to consumers over long distances. One of the big electric companies in this era got the licence to use Tesla's AC induction motor and transformer designs. This deal made Tesla and his partners rich and he finally got a big reward for his work.

_{Tesla, Inc, logo - popular electric car manufacturer named after Nikola Tesla}

The AC induction motor made by Tesla is one piece of electric equipment that made the transmission of electricity to consumers over long distances in towns and cities possible. It facilitated the distribution of electricity on a large scale. This motor also powers several household appliances like kitchen blenders, vacuum cleaners, and air-conditioners to mention a few. However, it is one of his numerous inventions. He also explored and made innovations in radio, wireless electric lighting, torpedo, and X-rays to cite a few. In honour of his contributions to science, several things have been named after him. The SI unit of measurement for magnetic flux density and the popular electric car manufacturer, Tesla, Inc, are some notable mentions of things named after him.

Nikola Tesla used his abilities to enrich the lives of others through his scientific work. His life was based on service to humanity. He lit up the world!

Thanks for reading,
Have a splendid day folks.