Nikola Tesla
From SkepticWiki
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) was a Croatian-American inventor, whose inventions and work formed the basis of the modern use of electrical power. In pseudoscientific circles he is regarded as the father of various free-energy pursuits. Some conspiracy theorists regard him as the inventor of secret super-weapons.
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[edit] Inventions
Tesla developed the modern system of power distribution, using alternating current, transformers, and hydroelectric generation. Other inventions include the spark plug, the brushless motor, the bladeless steam turbine, and techniques of wireless power transmission. He proposed designs for electric vehicles, and VTOL aircraft. The SI unit of magnetic flux density was named the Tesla in his honor.
Tesla is well-known as the inventor of radio communication, in spite of the patent initially awarded to Marconi. Tesla’s radio was essentially a method of sending Morse Code clicks wirelessly. He also developed radio remote control using wireless power. He did not invent voice radio communication as we know it today.
Some familiar novelties such as the plasma lamp and the “perpetual motion pendulum” are due to Tesla.
[edit] Lore and Claims
It is widely believed that Tesla’s mental health began deteriorating in his later life. He exhibited symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and also began making wild claims about his research and inventions, which became the basis for later pseudoscientific pursuits by others. He claimed, among other things to have dicovered a workable physical unified field theory, although his theory was never published. Tesla’s character at this time almost certainly contributed to the “mad scientist” archetype in American film.
Tesla’s life’s achievements are certainly spectacular, yet myth and legend has added much more. Much of the wild claims about Tesla’s achievements are based on misunderstanding of the import of his work, others are based on Tesla’s own unreasoned ramblings. Some claims are nothing but legends repeated until they are supposed to be true.
[edit] The Wardenclyffe Tower
At the beginning of the 21st century, Tesla worked on his most audacious project, a device from which power would be broadcast wirelessly to a large area. The “Wardenclyffe Tower” on Long Island in New York was fraught with financial and technical difficulties, and was never completed. It is unclear how the device was intended to work, since wireless power diminishes rapidly over great distances. It is likely that it was intended to operate at frequencies that resonated with the Earth or the atmosphere. Even so, most analyses conclude that this method of power distribution would be impractical.
Tesla’s visions for widespread power distribution often neglected economic considerations, and it is probable that he envisioned “free” energy in the sense that that the consumer shouldn’t have to pay for it. Today “free energy” has a slightly different meaning of inexhaustible supply. This confusion of meaning may be responsible for the misunderstanding as to what Tesla was actually pursuing; an economic, rather than physical phantasm.
The failure of the Wardenclyffe project is interpreted by some conspiracy theorists as due to the economic pressure of rivals Edison and Westinghouse, who were developing their own transmission systems.
[edit] The Death Ray
In the early 1900’s, Tesla worked on various military applications, which included a weapon he called a “Teleforce” system, which was supposed to be able to destroy enemy vehicles and airplanes from hundreds of miles away. It was similar in theory to what is now called a “railgun”, firing blobs of liquid mercury accelerated by electrical energy, to “48 times the speed of sound”. The principles involved in focussing this beam of matter were at best theoretical.
Conspiracy Theorists have made much of Tesla’s alleged Death Ray, going so far as to claim that the Tunguska event was a successful test of “Teleforce” initiated from the Wardenclyffe tower. This idea is based on very little evidence. The Tunguska event took place on the same day as an experiment at Wardenclyffe[1], however the Tunguska event occurred slightly earlier. Also cited is a supposed communication from Tesla to Admiral Peary to note any unusual aurora activity on his polar expedition. The Tunguska event occurred nowhere near the north pole.
Some evidence supporting the existence of advanced military technology is the fact that after Tesla’s death, the schematics for the supposed device were stolen by a Russian spy, and the remaining papers were confiscated by the FBI. Some conspiracy theorists have supposed that HAARP is a continuation of Tesla’s Teleforce research. Others have found a connection between Teleforce and the Philadelphia experiment.
[edit] Other Claims
- Tesla discovered and used Tachyon energy Crystalinks.com
