Nikola Tesla
1856-1943 · Serbian-American · Gilded Age
Known for: Inventor of alternating current power and visionary of wireless energy
Developed the AC system powering the world today. Sold patents to Westinghouse, forgoing millions. Envisioned wireless power, radar, and the internet decades early.
Germaphobic, celibate. Died alone and broke in a New York hotel feeding pigeons, having given the world its electrical infrastructure and received almost nothing.
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