Tesla, Nikola (July 10, 1856 – January 7, 1943), inventor and electrical engineer, was born in Smiljan, Croatia and died in New York City, New York, his son of Milutin and Ðuka Tesla, both Orthodox priests. His mother Ðuka invented small household appliances, which triggered Tesla's interest in inventions; however his father was adamant about Tesla entering the priesthood. In 1873, when Tesla was 17, he contracted cholera and his father promised him that if he survived he could go to engineering school. Two years later Tesla recovered and enrolled at the Polytechnic University of Graz, Austria, to study mechanical and electrical engineering. It was here that one of his professors introduced Tesla to the Gramme dynamo, an electric generator that produces direct current. Tesla thought it would be possible to completely eliminate the sparking links (switches), at which his professor laughed. However, Tesla was not discouraged and became obsessed with finding this solution. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tesla's invention process wasn't very healthy. On an average day he worked from 10.30am to 5am the next morning. Even in old age, Tesla said he slept only two or three hours a night. He formed his ideas through moments of inspiration and planned the invention to the smallest detail in his head before attempting to build it. This was the case with his AC motor. After dropping out of school in 1878, Tesla moved to Budapest in 1881 to work as a chief electrician for the Budapest telephone exchange. It was here that Tesla had a sudden flash of brilliance and had the idea of ​​how to use alternating currents to get rid of inefficient commutators. This invention would soon be known as the induction motor. Following this discovery he moved to France to begin working for the Continental Edison Company, where he made improvements to electrical equipment. It wasn't long before Tesla moved to New York in 1884 to work for Thomas Edison in hopes of bringing his alternating current motor to life. After getting a recommendation from Charles Batchelor, one of Edison's business partners in Europe, Tesla was promptly hired. Unfortunately, however, Edison took little interest in Tesla's revolutionary idea of ​​alternating currents and would have preferred that Tesla work to improve the efficiency of his DC motors and generators that powered New York City. Edison supposedly promised Tesla $50,000, money Edison didn't have, if he could succeed. The idea of ​​so much money really appealed to struggling immigrants. Sure enough, within a couple of months of being hired, Tesla accomplished this task, and when asked about compensation Edison remarked, “When you become a full-fledged American you will appreciate an American joke.” Tesla was not amused by this and proceeded to resign immediately. After leaving Edison, Tesla's talent did not go unnoticed. A group of investors approached him in hopes of improving arc lighting, which he achieved. They provided the funding for the Tesla Electric Light Company, which was really just a stepping stone towards his dream of making the AC motor a reality. Fortunately, Mr. AK Brown of Western Union Company, agreed to invest in Tesla's idea. In a small laboratory, Tesla worked rapidly to develop parts for the alternating current power generation and transmission system. Today Tesla's invention is used universally in everything.