My Hero: Nikola Tesla By Kayden

I chose Nickola Tesla to read about because I thought it would be interesting to read about him as a child and learn more about why he became famous for electricity and for allowing us to have wireless technology. My selection is a 108-page biography of Nikola Tesla. The biography also spans Nikolas' life from 1856 to 1943. It was published in 2018, a interesting fact about the author Jim Gigliotti is he was once a writer and editor for the NFL’s publishing division.

Action picture of Nikola TeslaBy Kayden CarriereNikolas grew up in Smiljan, Croatia, with his parents Milutin and Djouka. His siblings included two older sisters named Angelina and Milka and a younger sister named Marica. Dane, his older brother, was tragically killed in a horse accident. Nikola Tesla once jumped off the roof of his barn with an umbrella hoping that it would lift him, but instead landed on the ground without breaking any bones! Nikola wanted to be an engineer/electrical engineer when he was younger, and he worked as an inventor and engineer at Thomas Edison's Manhattan headquarters. Ernest Mach influenced him as he grew up; the speed of sound bears his name because he was the first to study supersonic motion systematically. Telephones foreshadowed his future, and he imagined wireless communication in the future. Nikola Tesla when he was younger attended an elementary school before attending Lower Realschule, Gospic, for four years. He enjoyed reading his father's old books after school, and his favorite author was Mark Twain.

Nikola's father died when he was sixty years old, forcing him to drop out of school and forego his college education in order to support his mother, Djouka. His uncle assisted him in finding a job with a telephone exchange company in Budapest. However, when he arrived, there were no jobs available because the company was still in the process of being built. He eventually ended up working at a telegraph office until the telephone exchange was built. He also rose to the position of chief engineer at the telephone exchange company, where he was able to make significant improvements. His greatest success came from his use of electricity. He was well-known for bringing electricity to homes all over the world. He was once in charge of installing a lighting system at the Paris Opera House. Nikola Tesla was a peculiar inventor with flaws and human weaknesses that made his life difficult. He worked very long hours and only slept two hours a day, but he always found time in the morning to do toe curls. He believed that curling the toes of each foot 100 times would benefit the brain. Nikola was constantly afraid of germs and avoided making hand contact with others. Another weakness that he had was he never got married because being an inventor took up all of his time and energy, but he said it was also very lonely for him. He wasted his time washing every piece of silverware and dish with a clean napkin after every meal.

Nickola Tesla Made by Kayden because of his fear of germs. He was a fantastic inventor, which was one of his many talents. He went to France and Germany to install dc electrical systems. Another of his strengths was his ability to visualize a problem and figure out how to solve it. He was a fantastic speaker because he captivated the audience and created mental images of what he was discussing. His father's death, as well as his failure to complete his college education, were both sad events in his life. Nikola was awarded the 'Order of the Yugoslav Crown,' which recognized national unity and cooperation. Another award he received was the 'IEEE Edison Medal' for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or electrical arts.

One of the things that surprised me about Nikola Tesla was that he was born during a thunderstorm, which foreshadowed how he became famous for his work with electricity. It was also odd that he didn't want a wife because he thought it would be a waste of time from inventing. I wouldn't want to be the child of my hero because I’d be all alone, and he'd never have time to raise me because he was always working. I would recommend the book I chose to read about this person because it provided a wealth of information about him and his life. This book taught me that he once worked with Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, film, movie camera, and phonograph. He had a good sense of humor and liked to read Mark Twain. Another thing you'll learn from this book is that despite not having a college degree, he was able to be so successful. I believe people would be interested in reading this book because it contains useful information about him. It also includes a timeline of his life and when everything happened. It also has a good illustration of the events in his life, which helps the reader understand and visualize. I'm glad I chose to read about this person because he had an interesting life and I learned about the things he did. If I ever met Nikola Tesla in person, I would ask him, "Since your father was a priest, and he wanted you to be a priest, would you ever consider becoming one?" 'How did you become so intelligent if your mother never went to school and couldn't read or write?' 'How was it like working for Thomas Edison?' Nikolas' work ethic is one of the experiences and lessons from his life that I can apply to my own. He worked long and hard hours, which contributed to his success. In the evening, he reads a lot of books, which helps to inspire his creative mind. After reading this book, I consider Nikola Tesla to be a hero of mine because he put electricity in homes all over the world, he was a wise inventor, he had a great sense of humor, and he always worked hard to achieve his objectives.

Portrait image of Nicola TeslaMade by Kayden

Websites for more information about Nikola Tesla:

Nikola Tesla - Wikipedia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Nikola Tesla | Biography, Facts, & Inventions - Encyclopedia  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla

Nikola Tesla - Inventions, Facts & Death - HISTORY    https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla

Nikola Tesla - Lemelson-MIT  https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/nikola-tesla

Nikola Tesla - Inventions, Quotes & Death - Biography (Bio.)   https://www.biography.com/inventor/nikola-tesla