NIKOLA TESLA - SERBIAN GENIUS ACROSS THE OCEAN

BIJELJINA, JULY 9 /SRNA/ - Physicist and inventor of Serbian origin Nikola Tesla /1856-1943/, one of the greatest minds in the history of world science, was born on July 10, 1856.

Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field, the three-phase system of electric power transmission, the induction motor, generator, and transformer, the phenomenon of electromagnetic resonance, and patented many inventions on which modern electronics is based.

He is a pioneer of radio technology, wireless telegraphy, and radar. Tesla’s polyphase alternating current system demonstrated its value at the first hydropower plant at Niagara Falls.

Tesla patented around 700 inventions in the fields of alternating current, telecommunications, acoustics, and mechanical engineering, many of which found widespread application.

After studying electrical engineering in Graz and a brief internship in Budapest and Paris, Tesla emigrated to the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1884. However, until he died in New York on Orthodox Christmas, January 7, 1943, he maintained close ties with his homeland.

In the U.S., having penetrated the secrets of oscillatory movements of electricity and matter, Tesla achieved his greatest scientific accomplishments.

On the centenary of his birth, the unit of measurement for high voltage was named after Tesla, as was the unit for magnetic field strength.

Nikola Tesla was born as the fourth child of Milutin and Đuka Tesla, into an Orthodox priestly family, in the Serbian village of Smiljan in Lika, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The great inventor and scientist proudly emphasized his Serbian heritage. When he arrived in Belgrade in June 1892, Tesla was awarded the Order of St. Sava, second class.

During his visit, Tesla toured the National Museum and the Great School, where he spoke to students and professors about his work. He also discussed the ongoing construction of the first power plant in Belgrade with Serbian physicist Đorđe Stanojević.

"As you can see and hear, I have remained a Serb even across the ocean, where I devote myself to research. You should do the same, honor your Serbian heritage and raise its glory in the world through your knowledge and work," Tesla told the students.

After Tesla's death, his legacy was brought to Belgrade based on a decision by the American judicial authorities, as his cousin /nephew/ Sava Kosanović, had been declared Tesla’s sole heir.

According to Nikola Tesla’s wishes, Sava Kosanović transferred his documents and personal belongings to Belgrade in 1951.

The Nikola Tesla Museum holds more than 160,000 original documents, over 2,000 books and journals, and more than 1,200 historical and technical exhibits. In 2003, the archival material from Tesla’s legacy was inscribed in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” register.

The international airport in Belgrade is named "Nikola Tesla." His name is also borne by the Electrical Engineering Institute in Belgrade, founded in 1936, an electrical engineering secondary school, the University Library in Niš, and two thermal power plants in Serbia.

Monuments to Tesla have been erected in front of the technical faculty's building and at the Belgrade airport.

Tesla's birthday, July 10, is celebrated in Serbia as Science Day.

The city of Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, has declared the birthday of this great Serbian scientist an official holiday.

Tesla died on Orthodox Christmas Day in 1943.