28 Reasons Nikola Tesla Should Be Your Geek Hero

Nikola Tesla was one of the most ingenious and productive inventors in history, yet fell into obscurity after his death. Check out a quick guide to the incredible things that came out of this mind, and then help get a free-wifi-enabled statue of Tesla erected in Silicon Valley , because, hey SCIENCE!

1. He showed up in America with 4 cents in his pocket...

Holypal / Via holypal.com

When he came to work in the United States, the boat he was on had a mutiny. He was almost thrown off the ship and most of his possessions were stolen.

2. ...at one point was fired from his own company. Penniless he worked as a ditch digger...

Walla Walla / Via ewb-wwu.org

3. ...and in the end, died completely broke.

Via thegloss.com

4. Could speak six languages by the time he was 18

Via billboard.com

This is a different kind of prodigy, but you get the point, homeboy was a smart cookie.

5. Invented the Arc Lamp which are used today in IMAX projectors

Via upload.wikimedia.org

6. Built an awesome power tower

Via upload.wikimedia.org

The Wardenclyffe Tower, also known as the Tesla Tower, was built to transmit wireless communication across the Atlantic, and more unbelievably to prove Tesla's theories on wireless power transmission.

7. ... his experiments there took out power for 6 miles...reportedly because he was harnessing power from the air and pumping back INTO the system.

Via hacknmod.com

8. Dude could transmit power wirelessly

Via upload.wikimedia.org

9. Tesla predicted the television, the internet, and teleportation. Just waiting on one of these now.

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10. Wireless robotics... he was building wireless submarines 100 years before drones or iRobot vacuums

Via cyberneticzoo.com

11. Brah built a ray gun...

Via callofduty.wikia.com

It's not science fiction, Tesla worked with the US military to create a game-changing weapon (he also may have shared plans with the russian military, at the time an ally, to disseminate the technology). Awesome video about this.

12. Dude invented radio

Via indieambassador.com

Although Marconi was credited with inventing radio, and won a nobel prize for it.

13. Believed he could create balls of energy that circled the earth, providing free power to the entire world.

Via pcworld.com

14. Yep, his work made radar possible.

Via curse.com

15. Had over 700 patents to his name

Via yaymicro.com

Yeah, here's the list of them all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nikola_Tesla_patents

16. Fluorescent and neon lighting? Yeah, that's his bright idea.

Via shattershield.wordpress.com

17. His technology makes electronic toothbrushes a reality.

Via the-best-electric-toothbrush-reviews.com

Oral B, Braun, and Philips, should all say thank you, Tesla.

18. He invented X-ray

Via fanpop.com

19. The Brains Behind Thomas Edison

Via books.google.com

In 1884 and 1885 Tesla worked for Edison and took on a project to improve his Direct Current generators. The story is that Edison promised to pay him a handsome sum if he could fix the problem. When he did, Edison refused to pay, and Tesla quit to start his own company

20. The original mad scientist

Via youtube.com

Hollywood depicted him as an evil genius, with ray weapons, killer robots, and doomsday devices. Above is a shot from his encounter with Superman. Yeah, he fought superman, brah.

21. His last patent was for a vertical takeoff biplane

Via forum.worldofwarplanes.com

Harriers and Ospreys came much later... I wonder what Boeing and McDonnell Douglas think about his work...Was this the first first generation of the V/STOL aircraft?

22. He believed that War would eventually be overcome by science.

Via foxnews.com

http://www.rastko.rs/rastko/delo/10832

23. Predicted women would become the dominant sex on the planet.

Via en.wikipedia.org!.jpg

24. Had few friends, but Mark Twain was one of them.

Via twainian.tumblr.com

25. He was a regular at Delmonico's in New York City.

Via travelgoat.com

Dude could hang

26. But, OCD might have gotten in the way of his social life

Via suziechick.blogspot.com

He needed 18 napkins to clean his dining ware and would sometimes need to walk around a building 3 times before entering.

27. At 81, he was run over by a NY taxi. He refused medical treatment and was bed ridden for months.

Via mobygames.com

I told you they were dangerous...

28. Upon his death, the FBI immediately seized all of his belongings.

Via blog.teesupport.com

What are they keeping from us? What amazing inventions will we never know about?

Obviously, this mad scientist should have a Statue! Support the Kickstarter to build one in California, complete with free wifi.

Via fanpop.com

Silicon Valley enjoys an elevated lifestyle derived from advancing the foundation Nikola Tesla helped lay. This project pays respect to the person who used his brilliance to advance society, not for personal wealth. The Tesla Statue can inspire entrepreneurs - who come here from all over the world - to think similarly, especially on big topics like energy and wireless information transfer.

Check out the Kickstarter