Exploring Nikola Tesla's Miraculous Lab: 1899

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In summary, the conversation discusses a feature article on inventor Nikola Tesla from 1899, describing his laboratory and various demonstrations of high frequency AC effects. These effects include a ball of flame that does not burn and a sourceless illumination in a dark room. The article also mentions Tesla's inventions and ideas, such as solar steam power and wireless transmission of electricity. The conversation also mentions a movie about Tesla and his rivalry with another magician. Despite some criticisms of his ideas, Tesla is recognized for his contributions to science, including the unit of magnetic flux density named after him. The conversation also touches on the topic of ball lightning, which was a phenomenon that Tesla may have discovered accidentally.
  • #1
zoobyshoe
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Googling for something else I ran across this feature article on Tesla from 1899:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/forgottenfutures/tesla/tesla.htm

I've read other similar accounts of visits to his lab quoted in biographies of him, and he included similar dazzling displays of high frequency AC effects in his public lectures.

NOT to stagger on being shown through the laboratory of Nikola Tesla requires the possession of an uncommonly sturdy mind. No person can escape a feeling of giddiness when permitted to pass into this miracle-factory and contemplate for a moment the amazing feats which this young man can accomplish by the mere turning of a hand.

Fancy yourself seated in a large, well- lighted room, with mountains of curious-looking machinery on all sides. A tall, thin young man walks up to you, and by merely snapping his fingers creates instantaneously a ball of leaping red flame, and holds it calmly in his hands. As you gaze you are surprised to see it does not burn his fingers. He let's it fall upon his clothing, on his hair, into your lap, and, finally, puts the ball of flame into a wooden box. You are amazed to see that nowhere does the flame leave the slightest trace, and you rub your eyes to make sure you are not asleep.

This ball of flame is not the chemical flame produced by magicians but is some high frequency/high voltage AC effect Tesla discovered in the course of his experiments. It is probably the same phenomenon as ball lightning, and Tesla is the only man I've ever heard of who was able to reproduce this in the lab. I don't know if he, himself, was familiar with reports of naturally occurring ball lightning, and I suspect this effect was something he discovered by accident while experimenting toward other goals.

The odd flame having been extinguished as miraculously as it appeared, the tall, thin young man next signals to his assistants to close up all the windows. When this has been done the room is as dark as a cave. A moment later you hear the young man say in the laboured accentuation of the foreigner: " Now, my friends, I will make for you some daylight." Quick as a flash the whole laboratory is filled with a strange light as beautiful as that of the moon, but as strong as that of old Sol. As you glance up at the closed shutters on each window, you see that each of them is as tight as a vice, and that no rays are coming through them. Cast your eyes wherever you will you can see no trace of the source of the odd light.

Like the ball of flame, this sourceless illumination is another high frequency/high voltage AC effect. I suspect that the shutters "as tight as a vice" are probably also air tight and that he is causing the ambient air in the lab to glow with the discharge from an unseen tesla coil at the right frequency.

After next turning himself into "electric man," an effect that a lot of people with large tesla coils have been able to reproduce, he goes on to talk about half developed inventions: solar steam power, wireless transmission of electricity, a telephone that sent what we would now call a "video" image along with voice (he was very close to the idea of television - in 1899!), and a machine for electrically fertilizing soil. (I don't believe he completed and patented any of these ideas except the elements of the wireless transmission of electricity. It's a pity he didn't pursue the rather basic, obviously workable, solar steam generator. With his post-Niagra credibility he could have gotten large scale versions of it into operation and we might be using refinements of them today.)

The article is a very good, typical, picture of Tesla: half magician, half Utopian dreamer. He was constantly spurred by the notion that invention could lead to a world without want or war.
 
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  • #2
Tesla was the Mad-Scientist.

Amazing man though, really.
 
  • #4
I actually just got back from a movie with him in it. " The Prestige". It was actually a very good movie about magicians and rivalry etc.
 
  • #5
Beeza said:
I actually just got back from a movie with him in it. " The Prestige". It was actually a very good movie about magicians and rivalry etc.
I had to google:

It all begins in rapidly changing, turn-of-the-century London. At a time when magicians are idols and celebrities of the highest order, two young magicians set out to carve their own paths to fame. The flashy, sophisticated Robert Angier is a consummate entertainer, while the rough-edged purist Alfred Borden is a creative genius who lacks the panache to showcase his magical ideas. They start out as admiring friends and partners. But when their biggest trick goes terribly awry, they become enemies for life--each intent on outdoing and upending the other. Trick by trick, show by show, their ferocious competition builds until it knows no bounds, even utilizing the fantastical new powers of electricity and the scientific brilliance of radical inventor Nikola Tesla--while the lives of everyone around them hang in the balance.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809267303/details [Broken]

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2006/10/bowie181006_243x244.jpg [Broken]

And DAVID BOWIE as Tesla?
 
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  • #6
The world needs more people like Tesla

For just the radio, and AC, he should be more well known, plus all the other positive trials (he DID have some goofy ideas--looking at them from OUR hindsight)
 
  • #7
We honor Nicola Tesla in many ways. The International System of Units (IS) established the Tesla as a standard unit of magnetic flux density. All my magnetic field data in my graduate research were recorded in microTesla ([itex]\mu[/itex]T).
 
  • #8
BUT HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN BALL LIGHTNING?
dispite the ludicricy that was tesla.

charging the air seems rathar interesting.
 
  • #9
Also a bit of an aside -- there is a new "multimedia opera" called "Violet Fire" about Tesla:
http://www.violetfireopera.com/

Hopefully coming soon to an opera house near me. Can I have ball lightning effects please?
 

1. What is the significance of Nikola Tesla's lab?

Nikola Tesla's lab is significant because it was the site of many groundbreaking experiments and inventions, including the development of alternating current (AC) electricity, the Tesla coil, and wireless transmission. It also served as a hub for scientific and technological innovation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

2. What kind of technology was used in Tesla's lab?

Tesla's lab was equipped with a variety of advanced technology for its time, including high-voltage generators, X-ray machines, and oscilloscopes. Tesla also developed many of his own inventions and equipment, such as the Tesla coil and the magnifying transmitter.

3. How did Nikola Tesla's lab influence modern technology?

Tesla's lab played a crucial role in the development of modern technology. His work on AC electricity and wireless transmission laid the foundation for our current electrical grid and wireless communication systems. Many of his other inventions, such as the Tesla turbine and the bladeless turbine, have also influenced modern technology in various industries.

4. What can visitors see at Nikola Tesla's lab today?

Today, the lab is part of the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham, New York. Visitors can see replicas of some of Tesla's inventions, including the Tesla coil and the magnifying transmitter. They can also explore interactive exhibits and learn about Tesla's life and work through videos and displays.

5. What is the legacy of Nikola Tesla's lab?

The legacy of Nikola Tesla's lab is immense. His groundbreaking discoveries and inventions have had a lasting impact on modern technology and continue to inspire scientists and inventors today. Tesla's lab also serves as a reminder of the importance of curiosity, experimentation, and innovation in the pursuit of scientific progress.

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