A to Z Kids News - Who Was Nikola Tesla?

Everyday in the United States electricity is used in homes and businesses to turn on the lights. If you think about this process, you may recall the name of the light bulb, Thomas Edison. But what about the inventor who made it possible to have the AC power running in our homes? That man's name was Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Croatia. Nikola Tesla was known for being a very intelligent student with a photographic memory. He attended the University of Prague in the early 1880's, focusing on the field of electrical engineering. His most widely known invention, the alterating-current (or AC power) was created in 1882, after his departure from University. He came to the United States in 1884 and worked briefly for Thomas Edison. By 1887, Nikola Tesla had patented his invention and sold those rights to a man named George Westinghouse. Westinghouse implemented the AC power system into all American homes and is still a major electric corporation today. This implementation was made possible by another invention of Nikola Tesla's, the Tesla coil. This coil made the transmission of the AC power possible on a large scale. Without these inventions, society as we know it would run on a much different type of power. In 1956, a new unit of measurement was named after the famous inventor in honor of all his achievements. Nikola Tesla passed away on January 7, 1943, in New York City.

Nikola Tesla Word Search

Tesla's Crossword Puzzle

The Maze of an Inventor!

Other Inventor's Word Scramble

Nikola Tesla's Sudoku

Kidbits!

This monument of Nikola Tesla, built in 1976, is a tribute to his work in Niagara Falls. It is there that he built the first hydroelectric power plant. The sculpture was done by Frane Krsinić, who was also from Croatia.

You Be The Inventor!

All of the common household items we use everyday were once a brand new invention. For example, before ball-point pens were the standard the quill and ink were used. Think of something that you think could be improved and create an invention to make it better. Use a separate sheet to describe your new design. Then sketch it out.