Why is Tesla so underrated?

Question

All the "grand amazing" scientists that the world knows today and are very popular include people such as Einstein, Newton, Edison, and others. They were brilliant people and contributed to a lot of things in society we have these days, but none of them nearly did anything as brilliant as Nickola Tesla. Nickolas Tesla accomplished feats that scientists in our current time aren't even capable of. He was doing calculus and advanced equations in his head. He is also known for creating the largest man-made lighting bolt. As well as this, he was the first person ever to illuminate a massive area of land via artificial light. He was also crazy – almost insane. He created a machine that ended up creating an earthquake, destroying an apartment building, and would have possibly destroyed the rest of the town had Tesla not destroyed the device. It is also rumored that Tesla is responsible for the Tunguska event… and thats pretty amazing seeing that he created an explosion multiple times larger than a nuke before the machine gun was invented. He is also the father of the alternating current, the base foundation of what electricity runs off today. Thomas Edison never invented the lightbulb, he only found a way to sell it. He was a CEO, not an inventor. Some crazy inventions that Nickola Tesla invented/discovered included the Tesla Coil, hydroelectricity, and even was planning on making some kind of death ray weapon that could literally vaporize an object from 200 miles away. So… Why is Tesla, possibly one of the greatest scientists of all time, so underrated and unknown? Why does Edison sit at the throne of being the "father of electricity" when it wasn't even him, but Tesla?

Answer 1

Edison took advantage of brilliant scientists and either paid them a pittance to refine a product he would take credit for or steal their invention outright and call it his own (like the light bulb). Tesla had nothing to do with Tanguska; it was a metal asteroid that got so hot it blew up above ground levelling all the trees for many miles around. Tesla wanted to establish a wireless electrical grid. There was no way for the investors to charge for the electricity the consumers used but Tesla persisted. The investors slandered his name over this incident. Edison also slandered Tesla. Many of his personal notes disappeared after his death, rumor has it the government took them.

Answer 2

Tesla is actually a bit overrated now days.... gotta remember that allot of the Tesla stuff out there is bunk. You see, Tesla went broke by 1900 and spent the next 40 years talking to reporters claiming he invented allot of stuff he didn't and generally making crackpot claims.



So his claims he created a machine that ended up creating an earthquake, was the father of the alternating current, hydroelectricity or even some kind of death ray can be taken with a grain of salt.



Tunguska is just baloney made up by some other crackpots.

Answer 3

There's a lot of good things already here, so I will add only one. In 1900 When Marconi sent his famous VVV message, a reporter went to Tesla, and asked him how he felt about this momentous event.



Tesla replied that it was a great event, but he would have felt better if Marconi hadn't stolen eight of his own patented processes to do it.



In the 1980s, Tesla finally got some credit. But not for creating radio transmissions. He got it for creating what Marconi used do it.

Answer 4

Edison more or less succeeded in discrediting Tesla.



AC vs DC-> Alternating Current (Tesla) vs. Direct Current (Edison). It was the War of the Currents. Edison tried to discredit Tesla and prove that Tesla's AC was dangerous by publicly electrocuting an Elephant in front of an audience.

Answer 5

Edison pinched all Tesla's best ideas and passed them of as his own.Edison was a brilliant self publicist and American born - Tesla was an immigrant,so the US as a whole was happy to go with Edison's version of events.

Answer 6

Most people I know, know him. I agree with the first answer. Tesla is actually becoming quite popular.

Answer 7

There's been a revival of interest in Tesla lately. Maybe he's finally getting his due.

Answer 8

Great article below.



http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/thomas-edison-versus-nikola-tesla-who-is-more-productive.html