THE GIFT OF FAILURE — NIKOLA TESLA
Maite Tovar, Bryan Collegiate High School
Young Nikola Tesla ran up the stairs of the Austrian Polytechnic School. The Siberian student had just made a discovery which would heavily affect how electricity would transmit. He stumbled into his instructor’s office and exclaimed, “Professor! Professor! I have something to show you! I have come up with a new idea thanks to your teachings,” the pupil excitedly told the esteemed educator. He pulled out a sheet with plans labeled “Alternating Current Motor.”
After carefully examining the blueprints for the motor which could one day rival Direct Current motors, the professor replied to the animated student, “Tesla, you are a genius. What do you plan to do with this invention?”
“Tesla, you are a genius. What do you plan to do with this invention?”- A professor critiquing Tesla’s work.
Tesla quietly shifted from foot to foot, pondering the question himself. Finally, he answered the man, “I think perhaps I will travel to Europe and sell my invention. There’s bound to be someone wanting to buy my marvelous A.G. motor.”
The professor pondered over the ambitious ideas the young man presented him with. Finally, he told Tesla, “You have aspiring plans. I hope you succeed and good luck.”
Unknowingly to either of them, his well-wishes had no immediate effect. Tesla journeyed around Germany and France and had no fortune finding someone willing to purchase his product. He struggled to survive and worked odd jobs in different electrical companies. One evening as Tesla was finishing his shift in the low-paying foreign factory, he came upon an old newspaper floating through the deserted factory floors. Squinting at the faded headline, he felt a jolt traveling through his body. By the next morning, he was on his way across the Atlantic Ocean, as the newspaper contents had inspired Tesla to move past the failures he experienced in Europe onto new opportunities. Inside Tesla’s suitcase lay the headline showcasing the words “THOMAS ALVA EDISON: GREATEST ELECTRICAL ENGINEER?”
In his pocket on a journey to find Edison and work under him. As he walked through the city, Tesla noted the new wires slung over the streets providing electricity to the citizens. Electricity had come to New York in the 1870s, and Edison’s lamp created a huge demand for electric power. He had heard rumors children died often by touching exposed wires due to a lack of proper safety procedures, which he quickly disregarded. How could noble Edison allow his electricity to kill others?
Finally, Tesla arrived at Edison’s workshop. He walked in nervously, the weight of his hunger for success resting on his shoulders.
“Are you Thomas Edison?”
The man looked up. “Who’s asking?”
Tesla gave a brief introduction and rushed to explain his idea about AC. power to Edison, who wearily kept tinkering with his current project, only half listening. However, once Tesla vocalized the possibility of power that could one day compete against Edison’s own Direct Current, he perked up. Tesla’s excitement grew exponentially once he realized he had a chance to make his idea into reality and asked, “Would you make me your apprentice?”
Edison carefully thought out his options. If he let Tesla work on his motor, it would surely compete against his own. Edison shivered at the thought of losing money and told Tesla, “Never. Your idea is ridiculous, and would not sell. Now please leave, I have important work to do.” Crestfallen, Tesla tried to negotiate. “Please, I promise I could get my idea to work! I could even improve your own D.C. if you gave me a cha-”
“Enough!” responded the annoyed Edison. He pondered over his choice and came to the realization his competitor George Westinghouse would surely jump at the chance of getting his hands on such an innovation. He could not allow Tesla’s ideas to come to a reality. After a few seconds of consideration, he responded, “Fine. I will hire you as my apprentice if you can somehow improve my D.C. motor. I’ll even throw in $50,000!”
Excitedly, Tesla set to work at once. They experimented day and night, holidays not excepted. Tesla noted Edison spent large amounts of time working and sleeping in the laboratory. He had no hobby, means of amusement, and was still single. Edison’s passion for work oozed from his existence.
A few months later, Tesla completed the challenge. Once he asked for his reward, Edison laughed in his face and told him, “When you become a full-fledged American you will appreciate an American joke.”
Tesla finally realized Edison had no intention of watching him succeed. All his months of work would go unpaid, and his motor would not be completed, resulting in another failure. Tesla immediately quit and set forth on his journey.
By this time, he had built up a reputation resulting in entrepreneur George Westinghouse, leader of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, to reach out to him. “Nikola Tesla! I have a deal for you! I heard you have an interesting invention?
One that could compete against Edison’s power? Well, I’m interested on investing!”Tesla gaped at the man sitting across from him against the New York skyline. Recalling his previous experience with Edison taking advantage of his ignorance, he spoke clearly, “I am open to the idea if we make a contract that would result in me getting paid properly in exchange for the patents on my motor.”
Westinghouse laughed heartily. “Why of course! You’re no fool, I’m happy to see! I’m willing to offer you $60,000 up front and 150 shares of stock, as long as you do good for this company and get us above Edison!” The men shook hands and set upon beginning a new chapter in the history of electricity: The War of Currents. Tesla and Westinghouse stood against a smug Edison, who doubted he would not stand victorious. Unfortunately for him, Tesla’s motor was mass produced as one of the most valuable inventions since the telephone.
Edison would not permit his D.C. power to go out of style, however. He put all his efforts towards tainting the name of A.C. power. Westinghouse wrote, “I remember Tom [Edison] telling them that direct current was like a river flowing peacefully to the sea, while alternating current was like a torrent rushing violently over a precipice. Imagine that! Why they even had a professor named Harold Brown who went around talking to audiences … and electrocuting dogs and old horses right on stage, to show how dangerous alternating current was.” Edison went as far as to electrocute a prisoner using an illegally obtained AC. motor to “prove how dangerous” the power was. To his dismay, the public failed to turn on Westinghouse Corporation like he maliciously intended, and the company thrived.
As the Chicago World Fair neared, Westinghouse and Edison’s General Electric Company realized this was their chance to show off their electric currents. Edison spoke up first and using his most convincing tone of voice said, “Good afternoon! I’m sure you have heard the dangers present in AC. power … I hope you will pick the correct choice and choose General Electric to power the fair. We can do it for $1 million.” In turn Westinghouse negotiated, “Half a million. As we know, A.-C. power is more efficient, and Edison’s people spew nothing but lies.”
The opening day of the fair, Tesla and Westinghouse stood near the President of the United States confidently as they waited for the power to be ignited. The millions of bulbs came to life, bathing the 27 million people present at the fair with light powered by Tesla’s ideas. Some evenings later, Westinghouse met up with Tesla in the same office in which they had first met. He told his old friend, “I must thank you for the extreme increase in profits for the company! However, I have to ask you a favor. I know we made a contract saying I would pay you for your patents, but at this point I owe you billions of dollars, none of which I can pay without bringing ruin to my company. Could you terminate our contract? The fate of Westinghouse Corporation rests on your decision.”
Tesla, without hesitating, responded, “Of course my dear friend. You are the only one who believed in my invention and I. Thank you,” and with that he ripped up the contract and bode farewell to George Westinghouse. This decision, however, turned out fatal to Tesla’s career and mental health. Without sufficient funds, he was unable to complete the rest of his projects and was mocked by the scientific community which led to him undergoing a mental breakdown. The last decades of his life were spent as a hermit in a New York hotel until the day of his death in January 7, 1943. The man died alone and with no money to his name. Nikola Tesla thought of himself as a failure.
“The namesake of our company is the genius Nikola Tesla, an inventor, electrical engineer, and scientist. Among his life’s many inventions (and more than 700 patents) are the induction motor and alternating-current power transmission. Without Tesla’s vision and brilliance, our car wouldn’t be possible. We’re confident that if he were alive today, Nikola Tesla would look over our 100 percent electric car and nod his head with both understanding and approval,” explained the founders of Tesla Motors Incorporated on a now archived post of their 2007 website. The highly respected corporation worth billions sports Nikola Tesla’s name to this day, whose success can be attributed to the continuous failures he experienced.
Bibliography
“About Nikola Tesla.” Tesla Society, The Foundation For Nikola Tesla, www.teslasociety.org/about. html.
Eberhard, Martin, and Marc Tarpenning. “Why the Name “Tesla”?” All Testa Motors Biogs RSS, Testa Motors, Inc., www.teslamotors.com/learn_more/why_tesla.php. Accessed 5 March 2018.
“Elon Musk: I’ll Put a Man on Mars in 10 Years.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 22 Apr. 2011, www.wsj.com/video/elon-musk-ilt-put-a-man-on-mars-in-10-years/CCF 1 FC62-BB 0D-4561–938C-DF0DEFAD1 SBA.html. Accessed 24 January 2018.
“Tesla -Master of Lightning: Harnessing Niagara.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/testa/ll/ll_niagara.html. Accessed 22 January 2018
“Tesla -Master of Lightning: Race of Robots.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_robots.html. Accessed 23 January 2018.
“Tesla -Master of Lightning: War of the Currents.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_warcur.html. Accessed 23 January 2018.
“Tesla -Master of Lightning: Who Invented Radio?.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_whoradio.htmt. Accessed 23 January 2018.
