CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Imagining Possibilities CHAPTER 2 Early Engineering Efforts CHAPTER 3 Opportunities in other countries 14 CHAPTER 4 Winning a Scientific War 20 CHAPTER 5 Powering the Modern World 26 29 30 Timeline Source Notes Glossary Further Information Index 8 9 8
Chapter 1 Tesla's interest in inventing began early when he was a boy in Croatia r 1 IMAGINING POSSIBILITIES on July 10 1856 Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan Lika modern day Croatia A bad thunderstorm rumbled overhead just as Nikola arrived To some people the dark clouds cursed seemed like an unlucky sign Would Nikola's life be
TECH TALK My mother was an inventor of the first order She invented and constructed all kinds of tools and devices Nikola Tesla 23 38°s Nikola's mother said no As lightning flashed across the night sky she predicted he would have a bright future Years later Nikola proved her right He became a famous inventor engineer and physicist His most famous inventions involved electricity Nikola's childhood was shaped by science and creative thinking His mother was a skilled inventor who designed several unique home appliances including a mechanical eggbeater Watching her sparked Nikola's curiosity about the way things work Nikola's father was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church He hoped Nikola would follow in his footsteps But Nikola was far more interested in science than religion Even as a boy Nikola thought like an engineer He was fascinated by natural forces and imagined incredible possibilities that didn't occur to most children Nikola was 5
