Nikola Tesla
1856–1943 · Serbian-American · Industrial Revolution
Known for: Invented AC electricity, the radio, and the modern world — then died broke in a hotel room feeding pigeons
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer who developed alternating current (AC) electricity, the Tesla coil, radio technology (contested with Marconi), and over 300 patents. His AC system won the 'War of Currents' against Edison's DC and became the standard for global power distribution.
Despite his genius, he died impoverished in the New Yorker Hotel, spending his final years feeding pigeons and claiming to have invented a death ray. He was arguably the most important inventor of the modern era and the worst businessman.
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