[Tesla]

[9781435142978]

[spine] Tesla [logo]

[back cover]

[headline] Since [Tesla's] death he has become the quintessential "mad scientist" for many and a cult figure for others. . . . One day he was the cultured gentleman dressed impeccably and dining at the finest restaurants, the next a reclusive scientist hiding in his laboratory for days on end with very little sleep. Then he would be a showman on the lecture circuit, regaling the otherwise stodgy scientific community with his wireless light sabers and building-rattling oscillators.

Who was Nikola Tesla? A visionary inventor? Eccentric genius? Outsider rebel? Now David Kent reveals the life, drama, and mystery surrounding the romantic figure. An immigrant from what is now Croatia, Tesla would move to America and go on to create groundbreaking inventions including some that would change the world. He even electrified visitors at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with an amazing never-before-seen electrical light display. Despite his successes, Tesla would become largely forgotten over the remaining dozen years of his life as others got credit for his remarkable scientific contributions. But after his death, he found renewed fame as the subject of conspiracy theories and as a pop culture idol. Through this fascinating book, you'll come to know the dashing man that continues to capture imaginations today.

Discover:

· The incredible inventions like the alternating current system that's the basis for today's electrical grid, wireless communication across vast distances, and the Tesla coil

· Tesla's claims of grandiose inventions, from communications with other planets to death rays

· The war of the electric currents won by Tesla and George Westinghouse over archrival Thomas Edison

· The financial decision that likely cost Tesla millions of dollars

· The eccentricities and afflictions, including an obsession with numbers divisible by three and a near-pathological fear of germs

· Tesla's passion for fine clothes such as soft kid leather gloves, ardent gambling, and living the rich life as a socialite

· And more

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[bar code] Printed in China