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+====== Nikola Tesla versus Thomas Edison and the search for the truth ======
+{{ :tesla_image2.jpg|}}
+The lives of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, and the people they interacted with during their lifetimes, makes for an interesting story in defining a geek. Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were two of the most prolific inventors of the twentieth century.  Many history books and  museums tell us Thomas Edison was greatest inventor of all times with a  thousand different patents for a variety of inventions. Nikola Tesla has  become a modern day cult hero on the Internet. In researching Nikola  Tesla you will find many people who are fanatics in their extreme zeal  to promote the legendary stories surrounding the legacy of Tesla,  claiming Edison and others took credit for many inventions that were  created by Tesla.
+The goal of Geek History is to be fanatic at  finding the truth. There are so many myths and legends about Tesla, we  could write an entire chapter of debunking all the misinformation. For  the sake of setting the record straight in the battle of Edison versus  Tesla we though we needed to at least address some of the major points  of misinformation and put some things into perspective.
+The often  quoted myth states that Tesla died in 1934 a broke and broken old man  because Edison stole Tesla's ideas. The statement becomes the mantra to  make Tesla the patron saint of geeks and a martyr. The statement  perpetuates many myths about the life of Tesla being one of hardships  and failures.
+**Exactly what ideas of Tesla did Edison steal?**
+During  the time Tesla worked for Edison they were on different sides of the  argument. Tesla hoped to show Edison his ideas on AC (alternating  current) but Edison refused to look at them because he was pushing for  DC (direct current) as the preferred method of electrical power  distribution. Perhaps the myth that Edison stole Tesla's ideas is rooted  in Edison's legacy of creating an invention factory where Edison used  his staff to develop ideas and turn them into patents. Some point to the  concept of the invention factory as the reason for his success, critics  say Edison took his invention factory too far, and Edison took credit  for any individual creativity by his employees.
+**Tesla died a broke because of Edison?**
+The  myth making Tesla a martyr, that he died a broke and broken old man  because of Edison, is a total head scratcher. In the war of currents,  the battle of AC versus DC, Tesla was victorious. In the 1890s. Tesla  defeated Edison teamed up with George Westinghouse, and was paid well  for his efforts. I've seen remarks made on the internet such as "Tesla  was cheated by both Edison and Westinghouse and died in poverty."  It's  sad to see people make misguided remarks saying that Westinghouse  cheated Tesla. In the article "Industrialist George Westinghouse used  Tesla power to defeat Edison"  we describe in detail the work that Tesla  and Westinghouse did together, and how Tesla was paid for his efforts.
+**Tesla was a humble and broken old man?**
+Critics  of Edison have said that Edison's greatest invention was his own fame.  Fans of Tesla paint a picture of  a humble and broken old man that  didn't seek fame. Tesla was at just as much a showman and pitchman as  Edison and he understood how to work a crowd. Tesla hung out at New  Yorks finest restaurants mixing it up the New York elite. That's how he  would meet his famous investors like J.P Morgan and John Jacob Astor.
+In  1899, Tesla used money he received from John Jacob Astor IV, one of the  richest people in the world at the time,  to build a new laboratory in  Colorado Springs.  Various accounts say that Astor was not happy with  Tesla, and thought he was deceived. Astor thought he was investing in a  new lighting system, but Tesla used the money to fund his Colorado  Springs experiments.
+In 1900, Tesla convinced John Pierpont  "J.P." Morgan to invest $150,000 in him so he could build a  trans-Atlantic wireless communication system.  J.P. Morgan had  significant influence in the world of corporate finance the early 1900s.   Tesla lost favor with J.P. Morgan for similar reasons to his falling  out with John Jacob Astor IV. Morgan believed that Tesla did not use the  money for the purpose of his original request.
+In 1918, Tesla  moves to the Hotel St. Regis. After running up a balance of over $3,000,  he was forced to leave. Tesla moved to the luxurious Hotel Marguery on  the west side of Park Avenue. In 1925, Tesla rented another room at the  Hotel Pennsylvania while continuing to rent the room at Hotel Marguery.  Tesla had many pigeons he fed and cared for, in 1930 Tesla was asked to  leave the Hotel Pennsylvania after residents complained about the  droppings from his pets, and he fell behind in his rent. In 1930, moved  to the Hotel Governor Clinton. Once again falling behind in his rent  Tesla was forced to move.
+Various accounts claim different reasons  for the Westinghouse Corporation coming to Tesla's rescue, but Tesla  would move to the Hotel New Yorker in 1934, with the rent paid for by  Westinghouse.  One story is that Tesla was hit by a taxi on the streets  of New York and injured, Westinghouse executives agreed to pay his room  and board for the remainder of his life.
+For much of his life  spent living in New York, Tesla moved from one upscale hotel to another.  If you look at what Tesla received for his work with Westinghouse,  along with the investment money  from Astor and Morgan, he received the  modern day equivalent of several million dollars.  While the story of  his life may tell us he died broke, it does not paint the picture of  someone who lived in poverty and never got a fair break.
+**Why is Thomas Edison more famous than Nikola Tesla?**
+There  are various reasons why Thomas Edison became more famous than Nikola  Tesla. Edison developed close lifelong friendships with some of the most  powerful and influential people around in his day such as Henry Ford.  We also cover that relationship in various articles as well here on Geek  History. Without going off on a Henry Ford tangent, it's safe to say  that Ford, like Edison, was a media superstar in his day.  At times  Tesla had the respect of the most powerful and influential people around  in his day, such as  J.P. Morgan and John Jacob Astor IV, but would  lose favor with them over time.
+ Even if Edison wasn't as smart  as smart as Tesla he wasn't a fool. In the introduction to geek history  we discuss what is an invention, and who gets credit for inventing  things. In the case of many inventions, it goes beyond just having an  idea. Sometimes it even goes beyond building a prototype and proving the  concept. Edison did not invent the electric light bulb, but he was able  to develop a light bulb that was practical.   A lot of the legacy of  both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford has to do with the image they created  for themselves. Edison and Ford build companies, they forged  partnerships.  Some people see capitalism as inherently evil. If that is  true, it is a necessary evil.
+In the PBS documentary "Tesla  Master of Lightning" Tesla's grand-nephew William Terbo explains the  downfall of Nikola Tesla. "He was totally disinterested in business. He  did not make the relationship between the importance of business and the  importance of his invention and discovery."
+Many of the things  that Tesla allegedly invented were not developed in a university  laboratory where the processes were witnessed by experts or scholars,  they were not in the course of business, as was the case with Edison and  Ford.  Tesla preferred to work out theories with experiments before  implementing it with physical designs. Tesla created small private  laboratories with a small staff where he was in total control.
+A  New York Times quote from Tesla  on the death of Edison underscore the  differences between the two inventors: "If he had a needle to find in a  haystack he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, but  would proceed at once, with the feverish diligence of a bee, to examine  straw after straw until he found the object of his search. I was almost  a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and  calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor. "
+Tesla was one of a small group of engineers working on AC in America in  the mid 1880s, but he was not the only one. Many of the "inventions" of  Nikola Tesla were not the sole idea of Tesla but were one of many  scientists and inventors.  When Tesla teamed up with Westinghouse, the  concept of AC power generation was already being developed by the  Westinghouse company, Tesla helped to improve upon the process and the  product. His partnership with Westinghouse was his greatest success. It  was also one of the few times where Tesla was on a team, rather than  working alone.
+In our next article we will take a look at  Tesla's relationship with inventor and entrepreneur George Westinghouse.   When the phrase "War of Currents" is mentioned most people are quick  to say that was the great battle between Edison and Tesla. What often  gets lost in the conversation is that Tesla and George Westinghouse  worked together to win over Edison.
+**The legacy and legend of Nikola Tesla**
+We  have tried to contrast and compare Tesla and Edison, and look at some  of the common misinformation of the internet.  There is so many claims  to who invented what, we have not even touched on Tesla's claims to  inventing radio, x-rays, and death rays.  We could show a long list of  inventions by Tesla, as well as Edison, and illustrate the discoveries  that came before them. But that does not change the fact that Edison and  Tesla were both visionaries and geeks. Both men had their own way of  looking at things and coming up with ways to improve upon them.
+We  are not trying to take anything away from the accomplishments of Nikola  Tesla. The constant bickering on who was the better inventor, followed  by endless rants of misinformation, serves no purpose. Some of the  conspiracy theories about why Tesla failed get pretty wild. There are  those that point to the government who shut Tesla down because of his  death ray that would end all wars.  The real conspiracy is why Tesla is  so popular on the internet and who is starting all the Tesla myths and  legends?
+**Einstein never said Tesla was a genius. But the internet sure wishes he did.**
+{{ youtube>g2BDQwvf2Jw |Tesla Myths video}}

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The collection of material for the study of geek history dates back to my early days in technology as far back as the 1970s. You will find specific footnotes and references on many pages with links to current websites. Anytime a claim is made, or a fact is stated from a website or blog that does not appear to have firsthand knowledge of the subject I make a note to follow up on it. I can assure you that anything I have written is based on verification of facts from a source as close to the events and individuals as possible or multiple sources of information from leading publications or references.

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