Nikola Tesla

Hero WebRyan peggThe book I chose is “ZAP! Nikola Tesla Takes Charge.” It describes the ’30s of his life about the time when he was looking for a job. At the start of the book, it tells a little of when he was a baby. It was a biography because it was not written by Tesla himself. I chose Nikola Tesla as a hero because he is a very smart person that is a great engineer. The book “Zap!” is about 30 pages long and tells about his early life when he was trying to build an alternating current motor. The book I chose about Nikola Tesla was published in 2016. The book describes when he met Thomas Edison and when he met George Westinghouse. The author, Monica Kulling, was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1952. She writes children’s books in Toronto, Canada.

Nikola teslaRyan Pegg

Nikola “Niko” Tesla was born on July 9th, 1856 during a lightning storm. Niko grew up in Similijan, Croatia. He was smart ever since he was born. At the age of ten, he already knew six languages! He was funny as a boy as well. When he saw an engraving of Niagara Falls, he said he was going to build a water wheel underneath the falls! Everyone thought it was extraordinary to say such a thing! One day when he was walking down the street, he came up to a man working on an engine. Tesla thought, “I know engines! Maybe I can help him!” He went over and asked, “Can I help you?” The discouraged man replied, “Sure why not?” Tesla did the job and the man gave him twenty dollars. “Life in America is off to a good start!” thought Tesla. He was smart and curious. Also, he would always live in hotels. He got an education at Charles University, Czechia. When Tesla was young he was interested in creating machinery and inventing. He was also interested in poetry. He got into electrical engineering because his mother would make little household appliances in her spare time. Tesla was one of five children. The others were Dane, Angelina, Milka and Marcia. 

Nikola Tesla won the IEEE Edison Medal in 1916. He won the John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium and more!

Tesla CoilRyan Pegg

Nikola Tesla worked for Thomas Edison because he was known as the “Electrical Wizard of America.” He created the first known power source, direct current (DC). Tesla knew that alternating current (AC) would run better than Direct Current, but Edison spent a long time with this system and was not wanting to change it. He offered Tesla fifty thousand dollars to improve direct current. When the job was done, Edison refused to pay. Tesla quit. The only job he could find afterward was digging trenches. When all hope seemed to be lost, Tesla met George Westinghouse. He wanted to use alternating current too! He bought the plans from Tesla and gave Tesla a job! Together they built an alternating current motor to light America in 1981. After that, they built one underneath Niagara Falls!! Tesla also built the Tesla Coil, which he could pass thousands of electrons through his body! Tesla also invented remote control in 1898 at an electrical event. He was also mentally ill for most of the time he spent inventing. As a child, Niko looked up to Voltaire, a writer, historian, and philosopher for his work.

Tesla was an extraordinary man. He built the Tesla Coil and found a use for alternating current. The Tesla Coil can pass thousands of volts through your body! He also has a car company named after him, Tesla, an electrical car brand. It’s so cool that it even charges when you stop. At that time no one knew about electricity, and later he figured out how to use radio waves to make things move without touching them. No one knew about that too. I would not like to be his child because he might have not had a lot of time to spend with me.

He died on Jan 7, 1943. If I could talk of Nikola Tesla, I would ask him, “What would you have done if Edison hadn’t fired you?” How did you feel when Edison did not give you the money he promised you? Did other people look up to you when you were young?”