| July 10, 1856 | Nikola Tesla Was Born
Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents were ethnic Serbians. His father was an Orthodox Priest, and he credited his mother for his inventiveness. |
| 1875 | Tesla Enrolled at Austrian Polytechnic
In 1875, Tesla began to study engineering at the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz, Austria. He claimed to have graduated, but the institution disagrees. |
| 1882 | Worked for Continental Edison
In 1882, he went to work for Continental Edison in Paris. He was attempting to improve on electrical equipment sent from the United States. |
| 1882 | Identified Magnetic Induction Field Principle
Working independently, Tesla identified the rotating magnetic induction field principle. This is used today in alternators. |
| 1884 | Moved to United States
Tesla moved to the United States in 1884, immediately approaching Thomas Edison with a letter of introduction. According to Tesla, he was offered 50,000 dollars to solve a problem, but Edison never paid. |
| 1885 | Nikola Tesla Quit Working for Edison
After Edison refused to pay, Tesla quit working for Edison, with the plan and intention of starting his own electrical company. |
| 1886 | Began Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing
Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company in Rahway, New Jersey. He invented and marketed an arc lamp; however, he earned relatively little off of his investment. |
| 1887 | War of Currents
The War of Currents began in 1887. Direct current, invented and supported by Edison, was in direct competition with Tesla's alternating current. |
| 1891 | Patented Tesla Coil
In 1891, Tesla patented the Tesla Coil. The Tesla Coil is a resonant transformer circuit that produced a high voltage, low current and high frequency alternating current electricity. |
| 1891 | Columbian Exhibition
With the support of the Westinghouse Company, Tesla's alternating current powered the World's Columbian Exhibition. Tesla had offered a lower cost electrical solution. |
| 1901 | Construction on Wardenclyffe Tower Began
In 1901, construction began on the Wardenclyffe Tower. Tesla believed that he could transmit electrical energy over long distances wirelessly, and the tower would illustrate that. The project was never fully completed. |
| August 4, 1915 | Files Suit Against Guglielmo Marconi
On August 4, 1915, Tesla filed suit against Guglielmo Marconi. Marconi is typically credited with radio transmission; however, Tesla accomplished this before Marconi. |
| 1934 | Particle Beam Research
In 1934, the New York Times published Tesla's particle beam research. While he was not financially successful, he continued to be a relatively prominent voice in the scientific community. |
| January 7, 1943 | Tesla Died
On January 7, 1943, as World War II raged, Nikola Tesla died in the hotel he made his home. Upon his death, the U.S. government immediately seized his papers and research. |
| 1960 | A Tesla Was Defined as a Unit of Measurement
In 1960, the scientific community recognized Tesla's achievements by defining a Tesla as a unit of measurement. A Tesla is a unit of magnetic field B. |