Nikola Tesla – the great madman, was a renowned scientist known for his incredible and often outrageous ideas that led the scientific community to distance itself from him, labeling him as insane. Yet, he was a brilliant inventor and scientist whose contributions significantly impacted the development of modern industry and society.
The Great Inventions of Nikola Tesla
Scientist Nikola Tesla.
Nikola Tesla was an inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer known for his revolutionary contributions to the fields of electricity and magnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Below are some of his famous, seemingly insane ideas that earned him the nickname “the mad scientist.”
1. Harnessing Cosmic Rays
Tesla once envisioned harnessing free energy from atomic particles and various rays abundant in the universe. This idea was dismissed as science fiction by most researchers due to its impracticality.
However, Tesla believed he could design a viable machine to tap into this energy source, thereby solving Earth’s energy scarcity problem.
These ultra-small cosmic particles continually fall to Earth at speeds faster than light, and he thought it was possible to “catch” them to convert into usable energy. Unfortunately, his invention was never realized.
2. Induction Electricity
Tesla dreamed of a world without complex wiring. He proposed a wireless electrical system that included a power transmission tower to deliver wireless energy to every corner of the planet. He demonstrated this idea through experiments on inductive transmission to light a bulb at a short distance.
He began constructing the Wardenclyffe Tower in New York, but funding was cut by JP Morgan when they discovered his true intentions were not just to build a telecommunication tower. This marked the final step in Tesla’s wireless electrical system, which was meant to be combined with his invention of a cosmic energy receiver. If successful, the world would have access to unlimited, free electricity through a simple antenna.
Tesla’s invention faced fierce opposition from the government, as it was not profitable. However, recent experiments have successfully lit a bulb wirelessly at a distance of 7 meters.
3. Cold Combustion
This invention was hoped to replace soap and water in everyday use. Tesla wanted to use electricity instead of water, as electricity was the greatest enemy of germs.
Cold combustion means burning without causing burns; a person would stand on a metal plate and be covered in alternating current of 2.5 million volts, resembling a flame enveloping their body.
This method is effective because human skin is conductive. It also has healing properties as the strong current can generate large amounts of ozone gas, beneficial for health.
However, concerns about cost and user safety made the idea of “cold combustion” seem far-fetched.
4. Teslascope
One of Tesla’s greatest efforts was to create a device to communicate with extraterrestrial beings.
He claimed he could communicate with distant civilizations using the Teslascope, but no one has verified his claims.
He reported hearing various sounds unlike anything known, including clicks similar to Morse code.
Using his Teslascope, he hoped to prove the existence of life on Mars.
5. Death Ray
This was one of Tesla’s dangerous inventions aimed at combating war. The Death Ray acted like a particle accelerator capable of firing a beam of high energy over a distance of about 250 miles, melting any engines and fighter planes in its path.
Tesla proposed the idea to JP Morgan for funding, claiming that with a power output of 80 million volts, the beam could penetrate any material.
His argument was quite convincing, but both the British and American governments rejected it. Russia supported Tesla and conducted tests on this invention. Many conspiracy theorists suggest that this manufacturing activity caused the Tunguska Event (July 30, 1908).
6. Weather Control
One of humanity’s greatest challenges is the ability to control the weather. Tesla believed he could make land fertile by using radio waves to alter the Earth’s magnetic field in the ionosphere, creating powerful atmospheric waves to control the weather.
Once again, conspiracy theories suggest that his invention fell into the wrong hands and is being used to dominate humanity. Evidence of climate change and increasingly extreme weather events today supports these claims.
7. X-ray Gun
The discovery of X-rays by William Roentgen captivated the scientific community, particularly Tesla. He expanded on this discovery to create an X-ray gun – a powerful device alongside Mark Twain, who became his close friend after Tesla cured him of constipation.
Using this gun, they could see through anything that the beam passed through at a distance of 12 meters. This invention, once seemingly forgotten, has now become an essential application in modern medicine.
8. Alternating Current
Nikola Tesla began collaborating with Thomas Edison in 1882 when he moved to Paris to work for the Continental Edison Company. This was the early period when Tesla’s talents were recognized by the scientific community. Edison suggested paying Tesla $50,000 to fix his generator, although he never actually paid that amount to his associate.
This prompted Tesla to separate and establish his own company, where he developed a new type of electricity called alternating current, capable of being transmitted over long distances efficiently. Edison was furious and called for protests, even threatening to burn Tesla’s workshop.
Tesla demonstrated that his current could illuminate light bulbs safely at the 1893 exhibition.
9. Illuminating the World
Once again, Tesla wanted to showcase his talents to the world by patenting a type of gas-sensitive particle that could illuminate the entire planet. He planned to use a type of high-energy beam, like ultraviolet rays, to excite these particles to glow like auroras. He suggested that if successful, the Titanic would never have sunk.
10. Tesla’s Oscillator
Everything in the universe is made of atoms, and each atom vibrates at a different frequency. When exposed to the appropriate frequency, they can resonate to create a higher amplitude vibration. This is similar to how a suspension bridge can sway to the rhythm of a gentle breeze, potentially leading to its collapse.
Based on that theory, Tesla invented a pocket-sized destructive machine that generated various vibrating frequencies. He recounted that when he turned on the machine for the first time, a strange noise echoed and the first cracks appeared. Everything vibrated violently until the police arrived and smashed the machine before the building collapsed.
When asked if the machine could destroy the Empire State Building, Tesla replied that with enough time to find the right frequency, the machine could transmit a significant amount of mechanical energy to destroy anything.
His invention garnered support from many due to its immense potential in healing if it could find the correct resonant frequency of a tumor or disease within the body to completely destroy it without affecting surrounding tissues.
11. Remote Control
Tesla invented the first remote control in history. Before it was known as “remote control”, Tesla called his invention a “teleautomaton” and showcased it at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1898.
Instead of using infrared rays like traditional TV remotes, Tesla’s teleautomaton utilized radio waves. He demonstrated it by controlling a small toy boat during its public debut in 1898. The boat was equipped with an antenna to receive radio signals emitted from the controller.
Tesla sought to commercialize both the controller and the toy boat, but the public simply wasn’t interested. However, the idea gradually gained acceptance over the years, and remote controls today can be found in every household.
12. Neon Lights
Although Tesla did not directly invent neon lights, he played a significant role in improving this invention.
Five years before the launch of the aforementioned teleautomaton, Tesla introduced an improved version of neon lights at the Chicago World’s Fair. During this event, Tesla demonstrated how the neon lights could be bent and molded into various shapes and letters.
This distinctive feature of neon lights, which you can see in many bars and clubs today, was developed by Tesla. And honestly, one of the most remarkable aspects of neon lights is their moldability! Let’s give Tesla some credit for that.
Though Tesla passed away in solitude and poverty in his later years, the inventions he created throughout his life paved the way for technology that we cannot live without in modern times. It can be said that Tesla is one of the greatest inventors of all time, and we hope to see more geniuses like him in the future.
