Nikola Tesla Books
In Karlovac - more precisely in Rakovac, which at that time belonged to the Military Frontier (while Karlovac fell under civil Croatia) - he attended the high school (Higher Real School), where the language of instruction was German. Records of his schooling still exist today and show that Tesla had rather uneven grades. Only in the second semester of the fifth year did he receive a distinction; otherwise he always passed merely with the first grade. He was best in the German language, in which he was mostly graded excellent. He was weakest in descriptive geometry and freehand drawing, in which subjects he most often received a passing grade. In the winter semester of the seventh year he was absent from school for two months due to illness. At the graduation examination, held on 24 July 1873, there were only seven candidates. Along with Tesla, the graduates were Julije Bartakovic from Sveti Juraj, Jovo Bijelic from Trebinje, Iso Kordic from Gornji Kosinj, Jovo Ljushtina from Metak (later an Austrian general), Mojo Medic from Dobroselo (my former professor of natural science), and Nikola Prica from Korenica; all except the first were from the Military Frontier, and only the last two were students with distinction. In German, geography, and mathematics Tesla received excellent at the graduation exam; in conduct, religious instruction, natural science, physics, and chemistry very good; in Croatian and descriptive geometry good; and in freehand drawing - passing. The record states that he was born on 8 November 1856 (which is clearly a clerical error). The inspector at the examination was Zivko Vukasovic, and the record was signed by: Sostaric Kt., F. Kreninger, Sekulic A., Sofler, N. Gr. Zivkovic, Petar Tomic, G. Fridrih, M. Brasnic, and Joh. Jamnicki. It is interesting that on 29 June 1885 duplicates of his certificates were issued to him. It is likely that he needed those certificates
