5 Ways That Nikola Tesla Inventions Changed The World
Nikola Tesla was the genius who first saw that power and energy could be drawn from any point of the universe - and harnessed for a diverse range of activities. But it wasn't until 70 years after he died that his inventions have attracted the kind of mainstream attention they so richly deserved.
At the root of this lies capitalism and caprice. Inventors and businesses that relied for their personal profit on submerging the radical theories and outrageously creative Nikola Tesla inventions succeeded only too well at preserving their money-spinning enterprises. But they did it at the cost of scientific progress and future-proofing the world against many ills.
When Nikola Tesla died in January 1943, the U.S. government even confiscated all his scientific research material. A portion of it has only now been released to the public under the Freedom of Information act. Even while he was alive, Nikola Tesla inventions were hounded by various official bodies and powerful, wealthy individuals like J.P.Morgan. Finally, Tesla died broke, still working on breakthrough scientific research that would have transformed the world as we know it.
So how did Nikola Tesla inventions change the world?
1. Alternating Current
The prior standard was DC (direct current) that was supported by General Electric corporation and extremely profitable because of the monopoly status of generating companies. It had a serious limitation. DC can't be transported over long distances.
One of the Nikola Tesla inventions that created the greatest impact was alternating current (AC), today's gold standard for electricity distribution around the world.
2. Light Distribution
Another one of Nikola Tesla secrets was the discovery of how to harness and distribute light. At the World Fair, he bent glass tubes into the earliest version of neon lights, and his Tesla coil is so impressive (and disruptive) that established corporate interests completely suppressed it.
3. X-rays
We talk about other scientists as discovering x-rays, but the fact of the matter is that Tesla identified them and potential uses for the technology as an incidental side-effect of other research he was engaged in about electromagnetic radiation.
4. Radio
Marconi is credited for the first 1904 radio broadcast, but years later his patent application was overthrown in favor of Tesla's evidence that he had discovered the radio - many years earlier, in 1897 itself! How did that initial patent get awarded? Well, Marconi had well-heeled backers like Edison and Carnegie.
5. Remote Control
Using radio-waves to control a motorboat in 1898, this Nikola Tesla invention demonstrated the incredible potential to remotely control several devices, especially in military activities. During World War 2, the Germans used RC tanks, and research has found several such activities.
Among other path-breaking inventions by Nikola Tesla were the electric motor, robotics, laser, wireless communications and free energy. This last is becoming of vital importance across the world, as fossil fuels grow scarce and the cost of electricity is skyrocketing.
