Laramie Knipp-Greenwood

Engineering is process in which you use scientific, economic, and other knowledge in order to invent or design machines. Born on the 10th of July, in 1856, Nikola Tesla is was one of the greatest electrical engineers in history. His inventions could have transformed the world, it could have given us a world with wireless electricity.

Tesla’s story begins in the Austrian Empire. Tesla’s father was a priest, and his mother stayed at home. While his mother stayed at home she would use her free time to craft tools, or mechanical appliances. Tesla later said this was a big influence in why he got so interested in engineering. Tesla also had five siblings, but his oldest brother, Dane, died when Tesla was five. When Tesla went into high school, or as they call it, Higher Real Gymnasium, he passed with flying colors. He learned how to do integral calculus in his head so his teachers always though he was cheating. He passed this four year school in three years. After four years from graduating high school Tesla ran away to Tomingaj to evade being drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army. In Tomingaj Tesla explored the mountains, which he says made him not only stronger physically, but stronger mentally. A year late Tesla enrolled into an engineering school named Austrian Polytechnic. During his first year Tesla would never miss class, and study from 3 A.M. to 11 P.M. He had the highest grades in the class, and the dean even sent his father a letter of commendation. But after his first year his father died. During Tesla’s second year he would be involved in an argument with Professor Poeschi, over whether or not the Gramme dynamo needed commutators or not. This would end Tesla’s scholarships after his second year. Because of this Tesla became addicted to gambling. After gambling away all of his tuition Tesla gambled back the losses and returned all money to his family. He had not studied enough for the exams that semester, and didn’t receive grades after the last semester. After this happened Tesla removed all ties with his family so the fact that he had dropped out of school could stay hidden. All of his friends thought he had drowned, not dropped out.

Nikola Tesla then moved to Slovenia where he worked as a draftsman. His mother begged for his return but Nikola refused. Nikola would still spend his free time gambling with local men on the streets. For not having a residence permit Nikola had to move back to his family, but right as he moved back his mother passed away. After she passed away Tesla thought kids at his old high school. After a year Tesla’s unlces were able to loan him enough money so he could go to Prague where Charles-Ferdinand University was. But because he was too late to enroll he would just attend the lectures as an auditor. After a year Tesla moved to Budapest to work at a telegraph company. But he soon realized that the company was under construction, so he had to work as a draftsman instead. After only a couple months he was promoted to the chief electrician position. In this position he would perfect the telephone repeater and amplifier. In 1884 Tesla moved to New York City where he was hired by Thomas Edison. He was only hired to work with simple electrical problems, but he soon started solving more difficult problems. Edison finally offered the task to Tesla of redesigning the DC generators. He told Tesla, “There’s fifty thousand dollars in it for you-if you can do it.” After several months Tesla destroyed this challenge, and made an amazing generator. When he asked Edison about his pay Edison told Tesla that he was just joking. He only gave Tesla a ten dollar raise, and right after this Tesla resigned. After he resigned, Tesla partnered with two men, Robert Lane and Benjamin Vale, to create a company called Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing. Their main product was an arc light based illumination system. But this product did not work well with customers. Lane and Vale