On This Day
1888 – Nikola Tesla delivers a lecture describing the equipment which will allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
Nikola Tesla (/ˈtɛslə/ TESS-lə; Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Тесла,[2] pronounced [nǐkola têsla];[a] 10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943) was a Serbian-American[5][6][7] inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.[8]
Born and raised in the Austrian Empire, Tesla studied engineering and physics in the 1870s without receiving a degree, gaining practical experience in the early 1880s working in telephony and at Continental Edison in the new electric power industry. In 1884 he emigrated to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. He worked for a short time at the Edison Machine Works in New York City before he struck out on his own. With the help of partners to finance and market his ideas, Tesla set up laboratories and companies in New York to develop a range of electrical and mechanical devices. His alternating current (AC) induction motor and related polyphase AC patents, licensed by Westinghouse Electric in 1888, earned him a considerable amount of money and became the cornerstone of the polyphase system which that company eventually marketed.
Attempting to develop inventions he could patent and market, Tesla conducted a range of experiments with mechanical oscillators/generators, electrical discharge tubes, and early X-ray imaging. He also built a wireless-controlled boat, one of the first-ever exhibited. Tesla became well known as an inventor and demonstrated his achievements to celebrities and wealthy patrons at his lab, and was noted for his showmanship at public lectures. Throughout the 1890s, Tesla pursued his ideas for wireless lighting and worldwide wireless electric power distribution in his high-voltage, high-frequency power experiments in New York and Colorado Springs. In 1893, he made pronouncements on the possibility of wireless communication with his devices. Tesla tried to put these ideas to practical use in his unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower project, an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter, but ran out of funding before he could complete it.[9]
After Wardenclyffe, Tesla experimented with a series of inventions in the 1910s and 1920s with varying degrees of success. Having spent most of his money, Tesla lived in a series of New York hotels, leaving behind unpaid bills. He died in New York City in January 1943.[10] Tesla’s work fell into relative obscurity following his death, until 1960, when the General Conference on Weights and Measures named the SI unit of magnetic flux density the tesla in his honor.[11] There has been a resurgence in popular interest in Tesla since the 1990s.[12]
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1891 – The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opens in Frankfurt, Germany, and will feature the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current (the most common form today).
Three-phase electric power is a common method of alternating current electric power generation, transmission, and distribution.[1] It is a type of polyphase system and is the most common method used by electrical grids worldwide to transfer power. It is also used to power large motors and other heavy loads.
A three-wire three-phase circuit is usually more economical than an equivalent two-wire single-phase circuit at the same line to ground voltage because it uses less conductor material to transmit a given amount of electrical power.[2] Polyphase power systems were independently invented by Galileo Ferraris, Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, Jonas Wenström, John Hopkinson and Nikola Tesla in the late 1880s.
Born On This Day
1804 – Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, American educator who founded the first U.S. kindergarten (d. 1894)
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody (May 16, 1804 – January 3, 1894) was an American educator who opened the first English-language kindergarten in the United States. Long before most educators, Peabody embraced the premise that children’s play has intrinsic developmental and educational value.
Peabody was also the first translator into English of the Buddhist scripture the Lotus Sutra, translating a chapter from its French translation in 1844.
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DamnDelicious
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- Homemade Sloppy Joes September 9, 2023Hands down THE BEST sloppy joes made from scratch! So saucy, so hearty. Serve in hamburger buns for a quick dinner! Let’s just say that sloppy joes aren’t just kid-friendly. They are 100% a family-favorite for EVERYONE including all grown-ups. I mean, saucy, tender ground beef goodness with a hint of sweetness served on toasted […]Chungah @ Damn Delicious
RecipeTinEats
- Basque Cheesecake September 22, 2023The iconic Basque Cheesecake has landed! With a mousse-like creamy vanilla texture and gorgeous golden “burnt” surface, the flavours remind me of créme caramel. You’ll be amazed how easy this recipe is (she says, 25 versions later 😅). Basque cheesecake The next time you want to make a cake that really stands out, make this... […]Nagi
- Roast potatoes September 20, 2023This is my everyday roast potatoes recipe. No-nonsense, quick prep, great garlic-thyme flavour. Fresh herbs are lovely, though dried can be used in a pinch. Don’t make the mistake of using minced garlic. It burns! My everyday roast potatoes I have a recipe for devilishly good crispy roast potatoes. They are the roast potatoes everybody... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for September 22 September 22, 2023Picture of the day Skyline of Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for September 21 September 21, 2023Picture of the day Issued 100 years ago: 100 Million Mark "Notgeld" banknote (21 September 1923), Trier, Germany, design: Fritz Quant, RV: Roman Bridge in Trier.
AV Club Wiki Wormhole
- Peacock un-renews the Pitch Perfect TV show September 22, 2023Ah, the un-renewal: Is there a more ignominious fate for a TV show, or its creators? You get the go-ahead to make more of your thing, get excited to plot out new storylines and character arcs, and then, whoops: Lucy pulls the corporate football away, and you go flying off into the miserable distance.Read more...William Hughes
- "Rich Men North Of Richmond"'s Oliver Anthony signs with Hollywood agency September 22, 2023The saga of Oliver Anthony—the self-published recording artist who garnered national attention, mentions by major politicians, and a whole ton of YouTube views with his sudden breakout hit “Rich Men North Of Richmond”—has now taken a turn for the corporate, it seems. Deadline reports that Anthony (who’s hesitated to…Read more...William Hughes
- Not even Star Wars is a match for Suits September 22, 2023Although we have never, personally, spent millions of dollars and god knows how many hours of human creativity to make a Star Wars TV show—hey, fingers crossed for next year, though!—we have to assume that it’s probably pretty hard to do. Certainly, it seems like the sort of thing where, once you’ve done it, you’d like…Read […]William Hughes
- Before Se7en, David Fincher nearly sunk his teeth into Blade September 22, 2023Today, it’s impossible to imagine David Fincher directing a superhero movie. Honestly, in 1994, it was kind of impossible, too. Considering the hell Fincher went through making Alien³, it seemed like he was done with franchise filmmaking entirely. But leave it to screenwriter David S. Goyer to reveal that he and…Read more...Matt Schimkowitz
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Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
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