Early Life
Born to a Serbian family in the Austrian Empire, in what is now Croatia, Tesla studied engineering in Graz and worked in Budapest before emigrating to the United States in 1884 to work for Thomas Edison.
Career
After a falling-out with Edison he partnered with George Westinghouse, whose company commercialized Tesla's alternating-current induction motor and polyphase system. He also experimented with high-frequency currents and wireless power using the Tesla coil, and began the unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island.
Legacy
Tesla died in New York in 1943 with little money, though his reputation grew afterward. The SI unit of magnetic flux density, the tesla, is named in his honor, as is the electric car company Tesla, Inc.
Sources and further reading
Last updated: 2026-09-24