Nikola Tesla is considered one of the most brilliant inventors in history. His work provided the basis for the modern alternating current power system, as well as developing both the radio and the fluorescent light bulb. He worked with Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, among others. He was also widely misunderstood by his colleagues and the general public. Biography Nikola Tesla was born in a small town called Smiljan, in present-day Croatia, during a thunderstorm. Some would say this would prove significant later in his life. He grew up as the son of a Serbian Orthodox reverend and was one of five children. He was an avid reader and often memorized entire books. He studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Graz, Austria. He then moved to Budapest to work for the American telephone company in 1881. He then moved to Yugoslavia, where he became chief engineer of that country's first telephone system. He later moved to Paris to work for the Continental Edison Company. While there, he developed devices that used rotating magnetic fields, for which he later received patents. In 1884 he moved to the United States and managed to get a job with Thomas Edison. While there, Edison offered Tesla $50,000 if he could fix several serious problems the company was having. After spending a year working it all out (and developing several patentable ideas for the company along the way), Edison reneged on the deal, claiming it was a hoax. He instead offered Tesla a $10 per week raise. Tesla resigned immediately. This experience would influence Tesla's dealings later. He later founded a company, Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing. Unfortunately, his investors didn't agree with his development plans... middle of paper... something to do with some sort of supertechnology. He is often cited in works of speculative fiction as the originator of strange theories and fantastic devices. Conspiracy theorists also introduce his Unified Field Theory into their writings, claiming that the work was taken over by the secret cabals that control everything. Since some of Tesla's work vanished after his death in the hands of the FBI, the truth or falsity of this idea cannot be determined. Conclusions Nikola Tesla was a brilliant scientist and researcher, eager to discover new things. He was unwilling to accept that something couldn't be done, and his career was full of examples of discoveries that did just that. References Carlson, WB Inventor of Dreams. American scientist. March 2005. vol. 292 Number 3, p. 78-85 Jonnes, J., Inventor, American Heritage, October 2003, vol. 54 Number 5, page44-45