Nikola Tesla

I just watched the movie The Prestige last night and I really enjoyed it. Why am I posting a movie review in a science blog? The answer is: Nikola Tesla. Although Tesla is a minor character in the film, I was fascinated by some of the aspects of his life that are portrayed in the film. I had no idea he and Thomas Edison were such bitter rivals. In fact I realized I knew very little about Tesla other than big lightning displays. A brief search on Wikipedia revealed the marvelous life of Nikola Tesla. I mean he invented radio, alternating current (which powers all of our cities, homes and businesses), thought he communicated with aliens and he marketed a "death ray" to various military organizations. "I thought Marconi invented the radio?", is the response I got when I mentioned this to other people in the lab. In fact the US Supreme Court upheld Tesla's patent in 1943, making him the true inventor of the radio. That is one sad fact among many in the life of Tesla. He is a great example of a scientific genius who is relatively unknown by the general public, mainly because other more eloquent scientists took all the credit and limelight. I have a feeling this is still quite common in the scientific community today. When you get a chance, read a little about Nikola Tesla and his amazing and eccentric life.