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Nickola Tesla was a genius and contributed a great deal to modern radio and electrical theory but there are few "secrets" in his work that aren't already known.
His pioneering development and research on AC motors, X-rays, radio transmission, high frequency and high voltage, fluorescent lamps, magnetic fields, electrostatic discharge, and even robotics was substantial and occasionally ground-breaking. He fought with some justification for the patent for radio after the USPTO revoked the one awarded to Marconi.
His experiments with wireless power transmission never truly were realized, but along the way much of his work has use today. During one experiment he measured the resonance frequency of the Earth at 8Hz ... something not verified until 50 years later. He built high horsepower bladeless turbines (up to 5,000 HP ... remember this was 1900~1910).
Around 1920 Tesla began exhibiting symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, and after that time he became increasingly erratic. He died penniless in New York around 1940.
However, it should be noted that during this period he was working on a "Death Ray" weapon that was partly realized although never to completion, and there is much of Tesla in modern experimental military weaponry, not to mention the Taser, which pretty much stinks of Tesla, if you will excuse the phrase.
He is a fascinating individual and although he was not always correct, that tends to play into the hands of scammers who can point to the many things he did do, plus some that are modern day realizations of his ideas, long after his death.
Throw in a bit of conspiracy theory accusing the world of suppressing his ideas, and the spectacular nature of some of his experimental apparatus like the Tesla coil, and you've a recipe for scam artists to exploit. Not to mention that the modern day Hollywood concept of the "Mad Scientist" ... the phrase was actually used to describe Tesla during the time he was alive ... owes much to his reputation and behaviour. The iconic 1950's movie Mad Scientist character is usually a collage of a Tesla-like wild idea, a bit of ostracism by the scientific community, and Einstein's haircut.
The specific stuff you're talking about ... long distance transmission of electrical power ... consumed a lot of his money and resulted in a few failed corporations. The work is far from useless ... just not useful to transmit power to your kitchen blender.
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" ... In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is. ..." - Chuck Reid
Last edited by Johnny2Bad; 19th March 2011 at 09:45 PM.
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This has Probably been answered before but here goes.
