Tesla : man out of the time

Called a madman by some, a genius by others, and an enigma by nearly everyone, Nikola Tesla created astonishing, world-transforming devises that were virtually without theoretical precedent. Tesla not only discovered the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating current machinery, but also introduced the fundamentals of robotry, computers, and missile science and helped pave the way for such technologies as satellites, microwaves, beam weapons, and nuclear fusion.Almost supernaturally gifted, Tesla was also unusually erratic, flamboyant, and neurotic. He was J. P. Morgan's client, counted Mark Twain as a friend, and considered Thomas Edison an enemy. But above all, he was the hero and mentor to many of the last century's most famous scientists.In a meticulously researched, engagingly written biography, Margaret Cheney presents the many different dimensions of this extraordinary man, capturing his human qualities and quirks as she chronicles a lifetime of discoveries that continue to alter our world In this “informative and delightful” (American Scientist) biography, Margaret Cheney explores the brilliant and prescient mind of Nikola Tesla, one of the twentieth century’s greatest scientists and inventors. In Tesla: Man Out of Time, Margaret Cheney explores the brilliant and prescient mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists and inventors. Called a madman by his enemies, a genius by others, and an enigma by nearly everyone, Nikola Tesla was, without a doubt, a trailblazing inventor who created astonishing, sometimes world-transforming devices that were virtually without theoretical precedent. Tesla not only discovered the rotating magnetic field -- the basis of most alternating-current machinery -- but also introduced us to the fundamentals of robotics, computers, and missile science. Almost supernaturally gifted, unfailingly flamboyant and neurotic, Tesla was troubled by an array of compulsions and phobias and was fond of extravagant, visionary experimentations. He was also a popular man-about-town, admired by men as diverse as Mark Twain and George Westinghouse, and adored by scores of society beauties. From Tesla's childhood in Yugoslavia to his death in New York in the 1940s, Cheney paints a compelling human portrait and chronicles a lifetime of discoveries that radically altered -- and continue to alter -- the world in which we live. Tesla: Man Out of Time is an in-depth look at the seminal accomplishments of a scientific wizard and a thoughtful examination of the obsessions and eccentricities of the man behind the science. POSSIBLY THE GREATEST INVENTOR THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN, TESLA HARNESSED THE ALTERNATING ELECTRICAL CURRENT WE USE TODAY, INVENTED FLUORESCENT LIGHTING, THE BLADELESS TURBINE, AND INTRODUCED THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ROBOTRY, COMPUTERS AND MISSILE SCIENCE AND HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR SUCH SPACE AGE TECHNOLOGIES AS SATELLITES MICROVAVE BEAM WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR FUSION. Possibly the greatest inventor the world has ever known, Tesla harnessed the alternating electrical current we use today, invented fluorescent lighting, the bladeless turbine, and introduced the fundamentals of robotry, computers and missile science and helped pave the way for such space age technologies as satellites microwave beam weapons and nuclear fusion Biography of a great inventor and engineering developer of early electrical science known as the 'Grand Wizard of the West'. Tesla's work formed the basis of the modern cell phone, fluorescent light, neon signs, radio, television and radar, yet he died poor and almost forgotten Promptly at eight o'clock a patrician figure in his thirties was shown to his regular table in the 'Palm Room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.