Tesla Research Papers

Starting in the late 1880s, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were embroiled in a battle now known as the War of the Currents. Edison developed direct current -- current that runs continually in a single direction, like in a battery or a fuel cell. During the early years of electricity, direct current (shorthanded as DC) was the standard in the U.S.. Tesla believed that alternating current (or AC) was the solution to this problem. Alternating current reverses direction a certain number of times per second -- 60 in the U.S. -- and can be converted to different voltages relatively easily using a transformer. Edison, not wanting to lose the royalties he was earning from his direct current patents, began a campaign to discredit alternating current.

In 1887, Tesla filed for seven patents related to his AC inventions. They were awarded without being successfully challenged. Westinghouse bought the rights to them in 1888. But Westinghouse, armed with the Tesla patents, could show that AC was a far more efficient alternative. The climactic battle in the War of the Currents took place at the colossal Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893-94. Westinghouse was able to supply power for much less than what Edison would have charged. He won the contract and wired the fair based on the Tesla system. As the exposition opened, thousands of bright lamps flashed on, startling fair-goers. The demonstration dispelled public fears of alternating current, and AC became the standard for power systems. The victory was hammered home by Tesla's realization of his childhood dream: a power generating plant at Niagara Falls. In 1890, investors took a big gamble on AC current and hydroelectric power, both still-unproven technologies. A long, tense wait ended in 1896 when the generators designed by Tesla began to feed power into the system. Eventually, they sent electricity all the way to New York City, lighting up Broadway. As