A Man for All Time

The one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the birth of great Serbian and world scientist Nikola Tesla was marked in Belgrade, throughout Serbia, in his native Smiljan, but also elsewhere in the world: in Graz, Niagara Falls…

There have been few scientists among the world’s greats who obliged mankind as much as Tesla. He has a special place because his inspirational inventions will remain forever part of our civilization. A man for all time and an "electricity genius" – this was Nikola Tesla, said Serbian Arts and Sciences Academy (SANU) President Dr Nikola Hajdin at the opening of the central event held on the occasion of marking the one-hundred-fiftieth anniversary of birth of Nikola Tesla at Belgrade Sava Convention Hall on July 10, 2006. On the same morning of the anniversary of one of the greatest minds and a man of the world, at Belgrade airport that bears the great man’s name, a monument – work of Darinka Radovanović - devoted to him was unveiled by Mining and Energy Supply Minister Radomir Naumov. Distinguished guests that attended included members of the Serbian government, diplomatic corps, representatives of our community from the town of Niagara Falls in Canada, representatives of the power supply company of Serbia, which financed the making of the monument.

The sculpture is 3.1 meters high and weighs some 1,000 kilograms. It was cast in polished bronze, as its platform is also three meters high and covered in light-colored granite. As he unveiled the monument, Dr Naumov stressed that the monument should remind all those coming to and going from Serbia of the great achievements of the renowned scientist.

In Smiljan, near the town of Gospić, the birthplace of Nikola Tesla, the festivities on the occasion of the anniversary of this celebrity in science was attended also by Serbian President Boris Tadić, who reminded that "Tesla shared the responsibility of the time in which he lived, that he tried to prevent war and contemplated on such scientific achievements as would bring about peace… His messages are something we would be well-advised to remember. One of them is that he was proud of his Serbian origin and Croatian homeland, as he was also proud of the United States of America, where he lived."

In Graz, too, where Tesla studied technical sciences and where still today there existed one of the largest high voltage laboratories in Europe, there was a celebration held on the occasion of this anniversary attended by prominent guests from the world of science and diplomacy. The laboratory, where the central event was held and where an exhibition about the work and life of Tesla was opened, was on this occasion named after the great scientist.

The émigré community in Canada, at Niagara Falls, where on the basis of Tesla’s patent for alternating current the first hydro-electrical power plant was built in 1888, also held an impressive celebration.

In addition to the monument to Nikola Tesla at Niagara Falls that was put up thirty years ago (a copy of the monument done by Frane Kršinić outside the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade) another monument dedicated to Nikola Tesla was unveiled on June 9. It is the work of Canadian sculptor Les Dreysdale. The monument was put up by the "St. George" Serbian Orthodox Church community in Canada.