History Extra podcast Nikola Tesla: life of the week
28 snips
May 5, 2025 
Iwan Morus, a history professor and author of Nikola Tesla and the Electrical Future, immerses listeners in the life of the remarkable inventor. He unpacks Tesla's eccentricities and examines his ambitious ideas, like the infamous death ray and dreams of wireless electricity. The discussion also dips into Tesla's fraught relationship with Edison and explores how he might react to Elon Musk's use of his legacy. Morus highlights the contrast between Tesla's groundbreaking vision and his personal struggles, shedding new light on this enigmatic figure.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Tesla's Inventor Myth Legacy
- Tesla created the archetype of a lone, eccentric inventor who disrupts norms and changes the world.
- This image of invention as a solitary, iconoclastic act remains influential in contemporary culture.
Early Life and Electricity Fascination
- Tesla was born in 1856 in the border region of the Austrian and Ottoman empires, now Croatia.
- From an early age, he experienced fascination with electricity sparked by a crackling cat and thunderstorm at his birth.
Polyphase Motor and AC Impact
- Tesla invented the polyphase motor running on alternating current (AC), a major innovation over direct current.
- His invention became key to the success of AC power systems, enabling efficient long-distance electricity transmission.