Saturday, December 4, 2010

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison

Almost everyone that grew up in America has been hearing about Thomas Edison. Teachers in elementary school talked about Edison and about his invention of electricity and the incandescent light bulb. Most kids don’t realize or don’t come across the differences between alternating and direct current at least until they are in junior high. Even then, all we hear is about Edison and he is given credit for inventing electricity and the incandescent light bulb.

Edison did not invent alternating current and better light bulbs which were the inventions and discovery of Serbian immigrant Nikola Tesla. Most teachers and mostly people think of Edison when they about the inventor of electricity and light bulbs. Tesla was a former employee of Edison and they had financial and technical disputes that led Tesla to quit working for Edison. Once alternating current was discovered by Tesla and that it was much more efficient and useful than direct current which Edison promoted even as he acknowledged it, A/C was chosen as a the form of power supply. A/C is the reason the world is lit.

It is strange that the man who had such an impact on the world by offering us A/C is the person that died lonely and without the fame and respect that he deserves.
Edison, on the other hand, is much better know and talked about and is thought to have invented electricity by most people.

1 comment:

  1. It is strange indeed. Dude was greater then Einstein! And fortunately we have (among other, thanks to him) also Internet today, so we can educate ourself and learn stuff they obviously don't teach at School.

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