Nikola Tesla, Brilliant and Bizarre

They say that there is a thin line between brilliance and madness, and such was definitely the case for Nikola Tesla. Even his most famous discovery, that of alternating current, was a scientific idea that was looked down upon as impossible and as 'just speculation', such as cold fusion is today (which is basically nuclear fusion at room temperature). Merely attempting to solve that problem was in itself very insane, or at least so thought everyone but Tesla. Most people these days know that he was brilliant and eccentric. Even those who know he was an odd one probably do not know truly how bizarre and interesting a character he was.

Nikola Tesla had many quirks. He had a fear of germs. Every photo taken of him had to be taken in a precise manner as to show off his good side. He also hated round objects. When women wore pearls, he would refuse to speak to them, and if his secretary dared to do so, then he would send her straight home (PBS). Despite the day off of work, it must have been quite confusing for her. In addition, Tesla also felt romantic love for some pigeons, loved the dark, was obsessed with the number three, and he suffered from vivid hallucinations of both auditory and visual. No woman is said to have ever been with him. A famous asexual and celibate, Tesla once said, "I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men" (Strange Brains and Geniuses). Tesla never gave women the chance to look past his faults, as he was too busy being Tesla.

All those quirks, fears, and mental problems did not stop him from being an amazing inventor. He would not be stopped by them. He was still a brilliant scientist, and as far as scientists go, one expects them to be methodical: slowly but surely advancing towards their goal. This, as you may have guessed, was not the case with Tesla. Large amounts of his work were conducted all in his head. He could imagine in three dimensions and simulate experiments in his head rather than conducting them in the lab (PBS). Because of this, Tesla had few prototypes, and few notes describing his inventions. Many were just up in his crazy, brilliant mind. Many of his inventions died with him because of this. Some of those inventions lost were more interesting than others.

Death Beam

Just before his death, he completed his, as the press called it, “death beam” which was said to be effective at 200 miles and able to vaporize steel. Naturally, the government confiscated his papers after his death, it was World War 2 at the time, and then investigated them. However, nothing turned up about death rays or anything else that was new to them, so the papers were returned to his family and the Tesla Museum. There was likely no death ray after all; Tesla was known to say things to pique people's interests that were not entirely true (FBI). Tesla seemed to be fond of messing with people for his own entertainment.

The Earthquake Incident

On that subject, the infamous incident where Tesla caused an earthquake in New York City is mostly unfounded. Tesla had no such violent machine which could cause an earthquake from his lab in Manhattan, but worry not, as he did almost make Mark Twain muddy his trousers. Tesla and he had met through a gentleman's club and Mark Twain was known for having digestive problems. Likely knowing this, Tesla called Twain to help him out with an experiment of his by standing on a particular platform. The platform was on an oscillator which did shake and quake, but not the streets of New York. It did those things to Twain's bowels. Twain, not even lasting two minutes, ran off to the bathroom in response to the sudden movements (PBS).

The Current War

Tesla and Edison, as many know, were rivals of electricity. Tesla believed that alternating current was superior to Edison's direct current. Direct current had limitations but Edison was in too deep to stop pushing now, or so it seemed was his mentality. Edison was a bit of a loon about proving that alternating current was dangerous; he even electrocuted stray animals like dogs and cats (Damn Interesting). He spread propaganda about his rival's current and did so with little restraint. Not exactly a gentleman's duel. It was even said that both men did not earn any Nobel Prizes because of their petty rivalry. Neither man wanted to get one should the other man be honored first (10 Scientists Robbed of a Nobel Prize)

Edison and Tesla had a history before this as well. When Tesla came to America from Serbia with only four cents and a letter of recommendation, he was hired by Edison. Tesla was told that if he improved on Edison's machines, then he would be rewarded with $50,000. Edison never paid him even though the improvements were made, saying that he had been joking (Nikola Tesla). $50,000 was an enormous amount back then, so Edison was not just giving Tesla the short end of the stick. Despite their history and rivalry, the two were not at each others' throats. In fact, they respected one another as scientists, as evidenced by Tesla getting a crowd to applaud for Edison upon noticing him in the audience and Edison giving Tesla temporary use of one of his labs when Tesla's was not usable (PBS).

In the end of The Current War, alternating current won out and direct current drifted back from the spotlight. To this day, we use the alternating current that Tesla pushed with his business partner. Without it we would not be able to have electricity so widely distributed across our country and even the world. Tesla's largest impact was one that reaches nearly every corner of the globe. A truly impressive feat, regardless of his quirks and oddities.

Conclusion

Nikola Tesla had more than his fair share of problems in his life. His life was wrought with mental abnormalities and strange behavior. Despite all of this Tesla went on to be one of the most remembered and celebrated inventors of his time, even all time. His life story proves that one does not need to work all the time to be successful, there is room for play. He also shows that an oddity, or perhaps a dozen, does not need to prevent one from accomplishing one's goals. Tesla proves that there is a thin line between brilliance and madness, but that it can be walked and it can produce results.