Why Was Someone So Essential to Human History Completely Forgotten?

Tesla’s legacy fell victim to unique circumstances. His death occurred in 1943 during the most brutal global conflict in history at the height of World War II. It was a time when people were struggling just to put food on the table and survive. Preserving the history of this legendary Serbian-American genius was last on the list of America’s priorities.

No Corporate Sponsorship

To make matters worse for Tesla, he had no company at the time of his death. When a corporation survives the death of its founder, that corporation typically uses its wealth to preserve the legacy of that founder. Thomas Edison’s General Electric and Marconi’s RCA did exactly this, and hence, school children learned about Edison and university students learned about Marconi. Most never learned about Tesla.

It is an established view in today’s American politics that very often, corporate lobbying sets the agenda for which laws will get passed and which laws will not. Corporate wealth and influence are powerful factors that should not be overlooked in the study of why Tesla’s legacy was lost for many decades before re-emerging in the early 2000s.

The problem here is two-fold. Not only did General Electric and RCA work tirelessly to preserve the legacy of their founders, but Tesla had no surviving company of his own to highlight his own achievements in the field of electrical innovation. For nearly an entire lifetime there was no one working to preserve his legacy – or at least no one with power and reach.

Recent Recognition

Fortunately, the truth about Tesla gradually became available to the public due to the enormously important work of Margaret Cheney’s 1981 biography. Over a decade later in 1997, Marc Seifer published Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla – a masterpiece of research that is gripping from beginning to end. This book in particular had a ripple effect into the mainstream and academic understanding of Nikola Tesla’s importance.

In the year 2000, PBS published the first major documentary on the genius inventor. More than 50 years after his death and more than 100 years after his greatest accomplishments, Tesla finally received recognition from a major institution for giving us access to electricity (AC modern electrical distribution), remote controls, and other pivotal contributions.

It was not until recently in 2019 that CNN recognized Tesla as the true inventor of radio – it was the first recognition of this fact by a mainstream news media organization. As Tesla himself might say: The world is slow to accept change.

Given that his legacy was buried for so long, there still remain many mysteries. We may never know the answers to these questions, but many of us are asking:  

• What really happened on the night of Tesla’s death? What did the FBI really find upon raiding the home of Nikola Tesla?

• The FBI released a public statement in 1943 saying that nothing of useful interest was found in Tesla’s home regarding technological documents. Considering that the U.S. intelligence community has a well-documented history of lying to the public, do we have any reason to believe them? It remains the view of the FBI that they hold no duty to release national secrets to the public.

• What was Tesla actually doing for the final decades of his life at the Hotel New Yorker? Was he really just wasting away? Was he working on projects that never became public? Is it possible that he was doing work for the US government or for other governments? (New evidence of Tesla’s later years is explored in Marc Seifer’s upcoming book. Tesla Science Foundation also heavily recomeneds this book.)

• In 1943 the US Supreme Court ruled in a patent dispute case that Tesla was the true inventor of radio. Mainstream media finally acknowledged Tesla for the same achievement in 2019 in an article by CNN. Marconi received a Nobel Prize for the invention of radio. Will this Nobel Prize ever be reversed and retro-actively awarded to Tesla?

• Will we ever have Tesla’s dream of wireless energy? It has been proven many times that wireless energy is possible, but contemporary innovators still struggle to transmit large enough quantities of energy without the use of wires to make it practical on a commercial and industrial scale. Did the practical application of this knowledge die with Tesla? If ever re-discovered, would this create another major industrial revolution that leads humanity upward on stepladder of new technologies?

• Speaking of wireless energy, what really happened with Tesla’s tower at Wardenclyffe? When Tesla described the functionality of the tower, he told us there are many other major uses for it that he is not yet comfortable sharing. Were those mysterious uses the actual reason the tower was destroyed? Is it possible that the tower could be weaponized? Although Tesla only had access to his tower for a short time: THE TOWER STOOD FOR SIXTEEN YEARS BEFORE IT WAS DESTORYED.

• In reality, what functions did his first tower actually possess before it was destroyed?

• What really happened to Tesla’s body? His Serbian Orthodox religion did not permit cremation, so why was this choice made? Was he really cremated? There is no public documentation of his cremation. His ashes are held at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, and it has long been the perspective of the museum that these documents are confidential and therefore do not warrant public access. It has been nearly a century, why keep these documents a secret? Why refuse the offer of third-party experts to authenticate the documents for free?

Tesla Science Foundation was founded in the year of 2010 to preserve the legacy of the great genius. We are a large network of volunteers, and we invite you to join us in our mission to celebrate and discover all of these mysteries.

By Nick Lonchar and Ellis Oswalt

Ellis Oswalt is the author of Tesla’s Words: A Stunning Utopia of the Future.

In 1898 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Tesla unveiled the birth of robots. A small remote-controlled boat may seem trivial to us today. We may have played with one at Six Flags, or we may have played with small toy RC cars as a child. For many people, something like this would be considered a toy, but to call it a robot could seem like a stretch. It isn’t immediately obvious how profound this technology was for the time and how it truly did lay the groundwork for robotics.

Tesla’s invention was very simple as far as what you could do with it. With a remote, you could control the movement of the boat. At Chicago the following year in 1899 he improved the design into a submarine that Tesla claimed could perform certain automations, although very simple, and a few other slight improvements. Those present at the original public unveilings of this device witnessed the birth of something new.

While not as exciting as the robots that have been coming out of Boston Dynamics, Tesla’s boat was in fact a rudimentary robot. Although the term “robot” would not even exist until decades later, but Tesla’s invention is clearly the earliest historical example of something robot-like.

“These automata, controlled within the range of vision of the operator, were, however, the first and rather crude steps in the evolution of the Art of Telautomatics as I had conceived it. The next logical improvement was its application to automatic mechanisms beyond the limits of vision and at great distance from the center of control…”

–Nikola Tesla

Science fiction usually gives us robots that look somewhat human, although the robotic arm-like machines that have spent the last 50 years building automobiles in factories are really a better example of how robots have been used in the service of humankind over the decades.

Merriam Webster defines robot as, “A mechanism by automatic controls.” Some may argue that earlier inventors such as Leonardo Da Vinci were able to design crank-powered machines that could perform very simple task that meet this definition, but any honest person living in modern times would need to conclude that a robot must be electrical in order to be practical. Again, Tesla’s invention is clearly the earliest example in history that meets this requirement. 

Because the term “robot” did not yet exist. Tesla called his device a “tele-automaton.” Tele is a prefix meaning “at a distance” and automaton is an old word that means “a complex machine that performs a specific task.” The boat was by no means akin to C3PO, but the introduction of this technology paved the way for modern robotics. If we ever reach a point where the wealthy among us have their own human-like robotic servants to clean house and keep us company, we will have Tesla to thank for setting the chain of events in motion that led to greater things. 

Although we haven’t quite reached that point, it’s important to realize that the technology does currently exist even if there are no personal service robots yet on the market. This is highlighted even more so by the fact that some of the most influential people in technology are very worried that Artificial Intelligence could quickly become so powerful that it might become an existential threat to humanity.

Believe it or not, Tesla saw that robotics would advance towards our modern ideas of the word. Referring to his submarine and how it could evolve even further, Tesla said in his autobiography, “I have been since years planning self-controlled automata and believe that mechanisms can be produced which will act as if possessed of reason, to a limited degree, and will create a revolution in many commercial and industrial departments.” Months later, he gave a similar quote with more confidence in the technology. “Telautomata will be ultimately produced, capable of acting as if possessed of their own intelligence, and their advent will create a revolution.”

At the event in 1898, usage of this same device was also the first public demonstration of both radio waves and remote control technology. It was a revolutionary device in more ways than one.

By Ellis Oswalt

Ellis Oswalt is the author of TESLA’S WORDS: A STUNNING UTOPIA OF THE FUTURE and works with the Tesla Science Foundation as a writer and dramatist.

For further reading about Nikola Tesla’s wonderous inventions, read Tesla’s Words (available now in paperback and coming very soon to Audible).

Our primary goal is to motivate younger generations to get involved and to learn and comprehend Tesla’s character and work, as well as, his thoughts of a better tomorrow. We have incorporated all of his philosophies in a traveling exhibition: “Tesla: Past, Present, Future”. We have broadened our horizons by offering after school assembly classes, which still need some development. The Tacony Academy Charter School in Philadelphia, along with their administration and wonderful teachers have helped to make this possible.

With the cooperation and collaboration with schools in Serbia, the TSF has had new dimensions and perspectives of the project as a whole. We look forward to working alongside the Nikola Tesla School in Jagodina, which won 1st place in a competition about Nikola Tesla and his inventions; the TSF and the University Singidunum in Belgrade prepared this contest. The teachers of this school have prepared a fantastic program called, “Energiju Stedim, Vise Vredim (Energy saved is worth more)”. It is a program that should be introduced into all schools, globally.

One of our teachers had an idea to write a script, so that the students could learn and perform a play on Tesla and his work. The play is based on, “Tesla: Past, Present, Future”. The play will be performed at the utmost professional standards. Our foundation members in Serbia are working alongside professionals who make and replicate Tesla’s inventions and the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade. The script will be available for free download from our website, as well as images and music that can be set during performances.

However, we have a small problem that needs to be resolved.

Unfortunately, many teachers know little to nothing about Tesla and very often in the course of their education and media are misinformed. We need to set the record straight. This is why we decided to invite all professionals to describe and write one part of Tesla’s life and teachings. This will be published in an ABC book for teachers and pupils. The book will be translated and printed in English as well. We will try to obtain verification from the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, in order to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.

Additionally, we wish to inform you that we are in the final phase of forming two studies (one in Serbia and one in Philadelphia). This will significantly contribute to helping spread the knowledge of Tesla. We have interviewed the Tesla experts on our digital platform. We organize weekly webinars, where viewers can participate in the modern Tesla story.

In order to promote Tesla, our greatest scientists and innovators, his work and his philosophy of life, we invite you to get involved in one of the following ways:

1. Submit your work on Tesla that you would like published in the book, including your name.

2. Submit topics that you would like to discuss on TeslaTalk.TV digital platform.

3. Suggest ways that we can expand and educate the truth about Tesla globally.

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