NARRATOR:<i>
Tonight, on The Tesla Files.</i> Wireless transmission of power;
this is unbelievable. -Whoa! -Yeah, that was
a little scary there. TRAVIS TAYLOR:<i> That's a whole
new kind of realm of physics</i> <i> and engineering that doesn't
exist yet.</i> -Where'd you get this?
-I would really rather not say. JASON STAPLETON:<i> It's as though
someone is trying</i> <i>to erase this man from history.</i> LEAH WITHEROW:<i> Tesla was
a world-famous scientist.</i> He was a little secretive about
what he was doing here. -Three, two, one...
-(whooping) (thunder rumbling) NARRATOR:<i>
Shortly before he died</i> <i>alone in a New York hotel room,</i> <i> scientist and inventor
Nikola Tesla</i> <i> claimed to have 80 trunks
filled with his life's work,</i> <i> everything from detailed plans
for wireless electricity</i> <i> to weapons so powerful</i> <i> they could destroy
entire cities.</i> <i> But after he died,</i> <i>only a few of Tesla's 80 trunks</i> <i> were reportedly found.</i> <i> For decades, people have
wondered what happened</i> <i> to the files contained in
Tesla's missing trunks.</i> <i> Could they have contained
secrets?</i> <i> Secrets that could forever
change the world?</i> (electric crackling) NARRATOR:<i>
On a private ranch</i> <i> located 40 miles west
of Colorado Springs,</i> <i> astrophysicist and aerospace
engineer Dr. Travis Taylor</i> <i> and investigative journalist
Jason Stapleton</i> <i> are continuing their search
for information</i> <i> concerning the missing files</i> <i> of legendary scientist
and inventor Nikola Tesla.</i> -What's up boys?
-Hey, guys. NARRATOR:<i> Joining them today is
Travis' longtime friend</i> <i> and research assistant,
Kyle Davis,</i> <i> along with electrical energy
experts Justin Hays</i> <i> and Drew Eby,</i> <i> from Applied Tesla
Technology, Inc.</i> -I see you guys already got the
Tesla coils set up. -We do. So, I want to reproduce
experiments that Nikola Tesla did while he
was out in Colorado Springs. NARRATOR:<i>
Travis has come to Colorado,</i> <i> the place where Tesla
originally conducted</i> <i> his experiments in 1899,</i> <i> to help prove Tesla's
greatest claim:</i> <i> that electrical energy,
if sufficiently magnified,</i> <i> can be transmitted wirelessly,
not only through the air,</i> <i> but also by using
conductive properties</i> <i> commonly found in the ground.</i> <i> -One day ago...</i>
-We're ready, man. <i> ...Travis and Jason
successfully replicated</i> <i> Tesla's experiment,</i> <i> which proved that a model boat
could be powered wirelessly</i> <i> by using a pair of Tesla coils
situated near the shore.</i> -STAPLETON: There is it.
-TAYLOR: There it goes! -There it goes.
-(laughing) -Yeah! Look at that!
-(cheering and laughing) Yeah, buddy. You know, the story goes
that he walked around and put light bulbs in
the ground and they lit up from wireless power -and I want to reproduce that
as best we can. -Very cool. NARRATOR:<i> If Travis can prove
that there was merit</i> <i> in Tesla's notion of a world
without wires,</i> <i>he will help to discredit those</i> <i> who often dismiss Tesla's
scientific theories</i> <i> as "farfetched," "wild,"
and even "insane."</i> <i> He will also expose
a possible motive</i> <i> for why some 20 trunks filled
with Tesla's files</i> <i> may have been stolen
from his hotel room</i> <i> at the time of his death
in 1943.</i> The more and more I dive into Tesla's work
and these experiments, <i>I'm getting more convinced that
he was really onto some things.</i> <i> And for whatever reason,</i> we're not doing experiment and
research in those areas, uh, in our, in our modern society;
I don't understand why. Well, while you guys do that,
I'm going to go into town because I want to see if I can
figure out what happened to all the equipment
in Tesla's laboratory. -Yeah, that'd be good. -All
right, so I'll come back out when you guys are ready and
we'll throw some switches. All right, man.
We'll see you in a bit. -Talk to you guys later.
-All right. -See you, Jason. Well, let's get to work, guys. NARRATOR:<i> Although
investigative journalist</i> <i> Jason Stapleton
has only been working</i> <i> with Travis a short time,</i> <i>he has become equally convinced
that Nikola Tesla</i> <i> was the target
of a government cover-up,</i> <i> one designed to deliberately
hide the inventor's</i> <i> incredible accomplishments
from the public.</i> <i>He has come to Colorado Springs</i> <i> to retrace
the scientist's steps</i> <i> and find clues that could lead</i> <i> to the possible whereabouts</i> <i> of Tesla's missing files.</i> Tesla practically invented
the modern world, and the fact that we know
so little about him is really a travesty. We understand less about our
past and about our future because Tesla has been
such a mystery. NARRATOR:<i>
Two weeks ago,</i> <i> Jason and Travis, along with
their friend and partner</i> <i> noted Tesla biographer
Marc Seifer,</i> <i> began their search for Tesla's
missing files and inventions</i> <i> by visiting the Nikola Tesla
Museum in Belgrade, Serbia.</i> -Here we are, guys.
-Wow. -Hello, Marc.
-Branimir. -Glad to see you.
-Good to see you. NARRATOR:<i> Although they received
a warm reception</i> <i> from museum director
Branimir Jovanovic,</i> <i> they were stunned by the
resistance they encountered</i> <i> whenever they inquired about
the number of trunks</i> <i> that were retrieved
from Tesla's hotel room</i> <i> after the inventor's death.</i> We were told,
in some of the writings that we read about Tesla,
that there were 80 trunks. Did he not? SEIFER:
In the FBI files, they mention 80 trunks
and you guys had 60. No, no, I'm not. NARRATOR:<i> It was their
unsettling experience</i> <i> at the museum,</i> <i>along with information obtained</i> <i> from recently released
FBI files,</i> <i>that convinced Marc, Travis and
Jason that they had stumbled</i> <i> onto a mystery that was bigger
than they had imagined.</i> This is the Trump report. And it's signed
by John G. Trump. And you're not gonna
believe this. This is President Trump's uncle. STAPLETON:<i>
Something doesn't smell right.</i> Like, th-there's no reason that
a guy of this magnitude, who had this much
historical value to be all but erased
from history, and what we do have of him,
what we do know, is-is locked away and
they won't show it to us. I want to know what's going on. I want to know what's in
those documents. I want to know
where the documents are that we don't know about,
and I want to know if his experiments were real
or if they were snake oil. Are you guys on board that-that
we're really onto something and that-that it's worth
going to Colorado? It's worth exploring to really
find out what was missing about Tesla's life and put all
these pieces together? There's no question in my mind
at this point. If we do this right, we could
actually change the world. TAYLOR:<i> These are the light
bulbs you guys have picked out?</i> So why don't you tell me
a little bit about them? So we have this older style
filament light bulb right here that, uh, would have been around
the time Tesla was alive. -Right. -And then we also have
this new modern LED bulb that we think we might be able
to get a little bit more results -if Tesla had had
modern technology. -Right. They don't require as much power
to light up these new lights. -Right?
-You're absolutely correct. Let's get started.
I think a good way to get going is, uh, maybe to go old school
first, like use the bulbs Tesla would've had,
and then step up -and use the more modern lights
second. -Okay. NARRATOR:<i>
Invented by Tesla in 1891,</i> <i> and defined by him
as a magnifying transmitter,</i> <i> a Tesla coil is perhaps
best described</i> <i> as an electromagnetic
or energy wave amplifier,</i> <i> capable of generating
high-voltage, low current,</i> <i> high-frequency alternating
current electricity.</i> <i> Depending on its
intended application,</i> <i> a Tesla coil can be used
in everything</i> <i> from the creation
of artificial lightning,</i> <i> to x-ray technology,
florescent lighting,</i> <i> and even the remote
transmission</i> <i>of electricity and radio waves.</i> <i> Although the voltage generated
by the available Tesla coils</i> <i> being used today by Travis
and his team</i> <i>is not nearly as strong as that
used by Tesla</i> <i> when he conducted a similar
experiment in 1899,</i> <i> Travis is hopeful that the
vintage bulb will glow</i> <i> when the current is applied.</i> We're gonna use these
landscape timber nails. We're gonna drive them
in the ground, so I've got to attach the
light bulbs to these. NARRATOR:<i> As the Tesla coil
transmits energy</i> <i> through the air and into
the surrounding earth,</i> <i> Travis will attach metal
landscaping nails</i> <i> to the bottom of the bulb.</i> <i> This should allow the bulb</i> <i> to tap into the energy flowing
into the dirt,</i> <i> and light up,
completing the circuit.</i> In the technical community,
most of the engineers and scientists I know, <i> kind of see Tesla
as a fringe scientist</i> <i> or crackpot or he was...
whatever he was saying</i> <i> wasn't real science.</i> So my approach to this
is going to be go in it with an open mind, but follow a rigorous
scientific method and only report real,
factual findings. Start getting the Tesla coil
ready to go, and we'll start with the test. -Sounds good with us.
-All right, dude. -Awesome. -These wires got to be connected
to the light bulb. -Got it. NARRATOR:<i> While acclaimed
astrophysicist,</i> <i> Dr. Travis Taylor,
begins to set up one</i> <i> of Tesla's most audacious
experiments...</i> <i> investigative journalist
Jason Stapleton,</i> <i> has traveled some 40 miles</i> <i> to the Pioneers Museum
in Colorado Springs.</i> <i> He is following up on a lead</i> <i> that he hopes will give him
important information</i> <i> about the nature of
Nikola Tesla's activities</i> <i> in the area more than
100 years ago.</i> <i> Information that could help
Jason locate the contents</i> <i> of some 20 trunks</i> <i> filled with secret files</i> <i> that may have been stolen
from Tesla</i> <i> shortly before,
or after his death in 1943.</i> -Hi, you must be Leah. Hi,
I'm Jason Stapleton. -I am. -It's very nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you as well. -Would you like to come in to
the archives? - I would love to. NARRATOR:<i>
Leah Davis Witherow</i> <i> is the Curator of History,
an archivist</i> <i> for the Colorado Springs
Pioneers Museum.</i> Wow. <i> The museum maintains
a large archive of records</i> <i> covering the area's rich
history and its inhabitants.</i> We have a small, but interesting
collection of Tesla materials. When did he arrive here
in Colorado Springs? So, he arrived in Denver
on May 17, 1899, and that same day, he took the
train down to Colorado Springs. As you know, by that time, Tesla
was a world-famous scientist. -Yeah. -So, the reporters
met him at the train station, they followed him to his hotel, and they interviewed him
all along the way. And they asked him, "What are
you doing in Colorado Springs?" And he said,
"I want to send a message from the top
of Pike's Peak to Paris." NARRATOR:<i> Tesla originally came
to Colorado Springs determined</i> <i>to prove that he could transmit
wireless radio signals</i> <i> across the Atlantic.</i> <i> But when his friend and fellow
inventor, Guglielmo Marconi,</i> <i> looked like </i>
he<i> would be the first</i> <i> to accomplish this
communications milestone,</i> <i> only after the incorporation</i> <i> -of several of Tesla's
patented designs,</i> -(beeping) <i> Tesla became bitter,
paranoid and deeply resentful.</i> <i> He then shifted his focus.</i> <i> He claimed he would create
limitless power</i> <i> by harnessing, magnifying</i> <i>and distributing the electrical
energy found in the Earth.</i> What he hoped to do,
and what he believed he did, was tap into what he called
stationary waves, the electricity created -through the Earth's
own vibrations. -Right. NARRATOR:<i>
Tesla discovered that,</i> <i> due to its proximity
to the Rocky Mountains,</i> <i> the soil in Colorado
was rich in quartz--</i> <i> a substance he believed
could be highly effective</i> <i> in transmitting
electrical energy.</i> <i> If, Tesla theorized,
a Tesla coil could be built</i> <i> at a scale sufficient enough</i> <i> to send electricity
through the ground</i> <i> and across a great distance,
then a network</i> <i> of power-generating stations
could be set up</i> <i> to distribute virtually free
wireless electricity,</i> <i> not only across the country,
but around the world.</i> He was pretty tight-lipped, a little secretive
about what he was doing here. He was so secretive
that after a while, people were a little frustrated because this world-famous
scientist coming to Colorado Springs-- they
actually expected him to make these enormous discoveries,
with public announcements within a week or a month. So these are obviously pictures
of his laboratory. -Yes.
-How big was it? It was about 50 by 60
in diameter, 18 feet tall. <i> Located east
of downtown Colorado Springs</i> <i> in a place called Knob Hill.</i> <i> NARRATOR: Under the shadow of
the towering Rocky Mountains,</i> <i>Tesla's experimental laboratory
was the talk of the town.</i> <i> Flush with money
from investors wowed</i> <i> by the inventor's bold vision,</i> <i> Tesla and his assistants began
construction in May of 1899.</i> <i> At the center
of the wooden structure sat</i> <i> the largest Tesla coil
in the world--</i> <i> more than 50 feet in diameter,</i> <i> and capable of generating
an estimated 12 million volts.</i> <i> But could Tesla really deliver
on his claim?</i> <i> Could he really use his
Tesla coil to change the world?</i> He never doubted the validity
of his research. Local historians
from the time period tell us that Tesla claimed
to light 200 lamps -at a distance of 26 miles,
wirelessly. -Wow. Now here's something
interesting. He said, "I can walk on the sand,
originally considered "to be a good insulator,
several hundred feet "from a large,
high frequency oscillator, "and sparks jump from my shoes. "At such distances,
all incandescent lamps glowed by wireless power." That's interesting
to me because, if this is actually true,
and he was able to transfer electricity
wirelessly through sand, then that proves, or at least
gives us some indication that some of the work he was
doing might have had value. An interesting article, written
by Tesla, from August of 1917, in the<i> Electrical Experimenter,</i> <i> he describes
an experiment gone wrong.</i> <i> One night, while working
with his assistants</i> <i> in his laboratory,
he blew out the dynamo</i> <i> of a power station located
about six miles away.</i> Wow. NARRATOR:<i> As Jason Stapleton
continues his search</i> <i> for materials related
to Tesla's years</i> <i> in Colorado Springs,</i> <i> back in Washington D.C.,
Marc Seifer is meeting</i> <i> with someone
who has offered to share</i> <i> what he claims is
important information.</i> I got the memos
from the FBI file. -I got to put my glasses on
for this. -(laughing) NARRATOR:<i> Kevin Leonard is
President of The Leonard Group,</i> <i> a top research firm
with unprecedented access</i> <i> to government documents
concerning Nikola Tesla</i> <i> and his experiments.</i> I'm gonna have
to go through this. Well, but even better,
you're gonna like this. "Enclosed, please find a copy
of a plan for wireless power, which I put together using the
ideas of several engineers..." Several en... I think
this is Tesla all the way. I figured you could use that. "Wireless power transmission." I got guys in Colorado
right now working on this stuff. What are they doing in Colorado? Well, we're trying to replicate Tesla's transmission
of wireless power, -exactly what this thing is.
-Okay. We've got light bulbs we're
going to place in the ground, and, uh, Travis Taylor
is a physicist. He's going
to try and replicate this stuff. I got to get Travis
to look at this. I mean, he's got calculations
in here I've never seen before. <i> The diameter of the outer
conducting ring of the model.</i> <i> He's talking about the Earth.</i> <i> He's talking about
the outer ring of the Earth.</i> You got diagrams? NARRATOR:<i> While observing
lightning storms</i> <i> in Colorado Springs,</i> <i> Tesla identified the existence
of a type of invisible shell,</i> <i> or ceiling,
that covered the entire Earth.</i> <i> Later identified
as the ionosphere,</i> <i> he theorized that the region</i> <i> between this so-called shell
and the ground</i> <i> is where electrical energy
is generated and disbursed.</i> <i> If his coils could be made</i> <i> to transmit in harmony
with what he termed</i> <i> the "resonant frequency
of the Earth,"</i> <i> Tesla could create
a global power system</i> <i> that could send virtually
free energy around the planet.</i> As expected, Kevin Leonard,
as he always does, comes up
with some amazing documents, but in this case, he really
hit one out of the park. "Wireless transmission
of power." "How to power airplanes
and cars." -Where'd you get this?
-I can't tell you. Sorry. Well, see if you can get more,
because this is right on point. This is incredible stuff.
I got to get this to Travis. I mean, this is unbelievable. -Think you can tap that source
-for maybe more? -Sure. -Sure. I'll see what I can do.
-Okay. If Kevin Leonard can continue
to give me information like this and not tell me the source,
I can live with that. -Thanks.
-Glad I could help. -SEIFER: See you next time.
-Okay. TAYLOR: All right, so,
let's go find a spot to put the nails in.
Let's hook the bulb up. NARRATOR:<i>
As acclaimed astrophysicist</i> <i> Travis Taylor continues
to prep his recreation</i> <i> of one of Nikola Tesla's
most audacious</i> <i> scientific experiments,</i> investigative journalist
Jason Stapleton continues <i> his search for any scientific
equipment or documents</i> <i> that might still be found
in Colorado Springs.</i> Can you tell me
what happened to all the stuff? What happened to any of the research that he had
after he left Colorado Springs? Tesla told everyone
when he left in January 1900, that he would soon be back
to continue doing experiments, but he never returned,
and he was actually sued by the caretaker of
the laboratory for lack of pay. He was sued by the city
of Colorado Springs for not paying his water
and sewer bill, and the electric company
also wanted their money. So, in 1905, 1906, they held a sheriff's auction and sold off both the laboratory
itself and all of its contents. Did they keep records
of that type of stuff back then that we could look at? The fact that the auction was
conducted by the El Paso County Sheriff's Department, there
should be some official record. Unfortunately, when historians
have searched for those records in the past, they haven't
been able to locate them. STAPLETON:<i>
Throughout this investigation,</i> <i> we've seen it again and again.</i> It's as though someone is trying
to erase this man from history. <i> It's as though anything
about him of any value</i> <i> has been completely
whitewashed from the world.</i> <i> And it's frustrating
as an investigator,</i> <i> but more importantly,
it poses questions like,</i> <i> "What was so valuable</i> <i> "that it wasn't enough
just to keep it a secret,</i> <i> "it wasn't enough
to take it away.</i> They had to erase the man
from history?" So, this is our local newspaper, <i> The Gazette </i>
and March 10, 1906, you can see an article here. "Tesla's Fixtures
in Sheriff's Sale." STAPLETON:<i> So, it says,
"The property held</i> <i> "by the Sheriff consists
of 27 cases of goods</i> <i> and ten coils of copper wire."</i> So where's the 27 cases? Well, the accounts differ, but the truth is,
we don't really know. STAPLETON:<i>
In the article referencing</i> Tesla's auction, they talk
about 27 cases of stuff. Now that's 27 cases <i> that are now missing,
just like missing trunks.</i> <i>We're never gonna find out what
Tesla was really working on</i> <i> and the extent of his research
until we find that stuff.</i> I may have something for you. If you come over and look
at this photograph... Um, see the copper ball atop
Tesla's laboratory? -Yeah. -There is a local family
that claims to have acquired
that copper ball. -They have this?
-That's what they say. NARRATOR:<i>
The large metal sphere</i> <i> that sat nearly 200 feet
above Tesla's laboratory</i> <i> was a source of curiosity
for locals,</i> <i> who were desperate to know
what was going on</i> <i> inside the scientist's
secret laboratory.</i> <i> Encased
in highly-conductive copper,</i> <i> the sphere allowed
for an even discharge</i> <i> of electrical current
in any direction,</i> <i> and could be raised
or lowered as needed,</i> <i> so that Tesla
could best capture</i> <i> or direct electricity
through the air.</i> <i>But as far as Tesla enthusiasts
are concerned,</i> <i> the sphere has
an even greater significance.</i> <i> In 1899,</i> <i> the scientist reported
that the sphere</i> <i> was also capable
of receiving communications</i> <i> not only from around the world</i> <i> but from sources
beyond our planet.</i> <i> It was this wild claim
that caused many</i> <i> in the scientific community to
dismiss Tesla and his findings</i> <i> as the product
of a deranged mind.</i> Can you send that to me? -Can I go talk to them?
-Sure. I can send their contact information
via e-mail. Perfect. That's excellent.
Man, thank you so very much. <i> I'm really excited
about the prospect</i> <i> of actually getting our hands
on a physical piece</i> of the laboratory
that Tesla had when he was here
in Colorado Springs. And this might be the thing that opens the door for us and sheds a little light
on what was going on here. I really appreciate you
taking the time to talk with me. <i> -You're welcome. Best of luck.
-All right, talk to you soon.</i> ♪ So, uh, Justin, Drew, where is this gonna be throwing
arcs from? Well, it's got an arc radius
of about 15 feet, so we want to make sure
we're well clear of that. NARRATOR:<i> Back at the ranch,
Travis Taylor</i> <i> and the team from
Applied Tesla Technology, Inc.</i> <i> are nearly finished
with their preparations.</i> <i> If successful,
they will be able to replicate</i> <i> Nikola Tesla's
most groundbreaking experiment,</i> <i> the wireless conduction
of electricity--</i> <i> first through the air
and then through the earth.</i> This is a old-school bulb,
right? And it's-it's not gonna be
that efficient. So how close are we gonna have
to get to this thing -to make it light up?
-Well, the closer, the better, you know? The closer to it,
you get more current, so... All right, well, what do you say
we-we attempt it right here? -That sounds good. -All right.
So, Kyle, why don't you hammer those two spikes in right there, about, say, what, five or six inches apart? Got it. That looks perfect, right there. All right. All right. Yeah, that's gonna stand up. Now, I say we fire up -the Tesla coil and see if
anything happens. -Sounds good. TAYLOR: So let's clear out
to safety distances -and light it up.
-Awesome. NARRATOR:<i> The Tesla coil
being used today by Travis</i> <i> and his team
is nearly ten feet in height</i> <i> and, once armed...</i> -(zapping)
-(whooping) <i> ...will create a discharge
in excess of 250,000 volts.</i> <i> Anyone standing within 15 feet</i> <i> risks serious injury or worse.</i> TAYLOR:
Let's fire it up, man. -Kick some power on. Let's-let's
see what happens. -Let's do it. -Okay, -All right, Justin,
kick your breaker. Breaker coming on.
Everybody maintain -your distances. -All right.
High voltage coming up, guys. Here we go. Arming the coil! TAYLOR:
Here we go. Firing the coil
in three, two, one. -It's on.
-It's on. You guys see anything
on that bulb yet? -I can't see anything on
the bulb. -DAVIS: I can't tell. EBY: Be about to see some arcs
right now. (zapping) -TAYLOR: Well...
-DAVIS: I didn't see anything. TAYLOR:
I can't tell. There's a glare right
on the bulb. It's hard to say. Let's turn up our frequency, see
if we can get any more current -in there.
-Good idea. All right, we're at 200 hertz. TAYLOR:
All right, let's bring it down. Right? I think, by now, by now,
it should be lighting up. All right,
I'm gonna turn off the coil. HAYS:
Okay, and... disarmed. We're safe. All right, so, guys,
so what we need to do then is rethink how we're-we're putting
the bulb in the ground. And let's move forward
from there. NARRATOR:<i> In his effort to track
down the large metal sphere</i> <i> that sat high above Nikola
Tesla's Colorado laboratory,</i> <i> investigative journalist,
Jason Stapleton, has arranged</i> <i> a meeting with Angel Halbrook
and her son,</i> <i> a local family
who claims to have it.</i> <i> If the copper sphere turns out
to be authentic,</i> <i> it may provide clues as to how
Tesla used it to transmit</i> <i> and receive everything from
electricity to radio waves.</i> <i> It will also encourage Jason
to find out if other items</i> <i> from the scientist's lab
can be tracked down,</i> <i> which may, in turn,
provide valuable information</i> <i> about the whereabouts
of Tesla's missing files.</i> How did you come...
How did you find it? -Where did you get it?
-Well, my husband was working for an older lady, and she was
opening up an antique shop. And she had had it
for 25, 30 years in a barn. And so my husband bought it,
because he thought it might be related
to Nikola Tesla. -Could've been his. Yeah.
-Yeah. NARRATOR:<i>
Within Tesla's laboratory</i> <i> sat five small Tesla coils,</i> <i> some of which were adorned
with metal balls</i> <i> that were meticulously placed
around the main coil.</i> <i> Often creating
giant lightning-like arcs</i> <i> of electrical showers raining
down inside the laboratory,</i> <i> these metal balls were used
to receive and transmit</i> <i> the electrical current
radiating</i> <i> from the larger Tesla coil</i> <i> in the center of the room.</i> <i> Although silver is considered
to be more conductive,</i> <i> Tesla's spheres
were made of copper,</i> <i> a cheaper
and less corrosive metal.</i> <i> The largest
and most far-reaching</i> <i> of the metal transmitters had
a 90-inch circumference</i> <i> and stood high above
the laboratory</i> <i> on top
of a retractable metal pole.</i> I'm really hopeful that this is what we've been looking for.
So, uh, can we take -a look at it?
-Yeah, sure. -Yeah. All right. Let's do it. (creaking) <i> We know
when they had the auction</i> to sell off
all of Tesla's stuff, when he left Colorado Springs, that there was no documentation
of what was sold and who it was sold to. <i> And so there may be
a ton of Tesla's stuff</i> <i> in people's basements
or in their garages. And so</i> this may be one of the things
that was sold at that auction. Wow. Do me a favor. I want to take
a measurement here. So, grab...
Just hold that end up for me. So, we got just short
of five feet. Four feet, eleven inches. Which is a circumference
of, what, roughly 60 inches. -Mm-hmm.
-Okay. Do you guys know
if it's been cleaned? I can't really say
for anybody else who may have owned us...
owned it before us, -but we never personally
cleaned it. -You haven't? -Okay. How long have you
guys owned it? -ANGEL: But... -We've owned it about two years.
-A couple of years? -Yeah. -So, it's possible
it might have been. Okay. Well, I got to tell you. Based on what I know,
I am not sure what this is. But I cannot definitively say
that this came from the top of Tesla's
laboratory, for a few reasons. Number one is,
from the dimensions that we have and what we know
about the one that sat on top, this is not big enough. Um, it needs to be probably a third bigger than it is. -Okay. -Um, the second reason
is, if it hasn't been cleaned or polished, the oxidation... Uh, what we know about copper
is that copper oxidizes over time,
and this looks really clean compared to something
that should be -over 100 years old. Um, now,
-Yeah. there's really some very sloppy
welding work that was done here, and Tesla would have been
very particular -about the way it was welded,
-Yeah. -because of what it was being
used for. -Yeah. It was used, you know, you know,
to-to conduct electricity. But I think just the size of it
alone kind of discounts it as the one
that was on top of his tower. <i> I don't know where this thing
came from.</i> And we know that Tesla
had a lot of these inside <i> of his laboratory. And-and
although it's not the one</i> <i> that's on top... what was
on top of his laboratory,</i> it could very well be
one of his. But we've got to do a little bit
more investigating before we can know that
for sure. It was, uh... it was really
exciting to talk to both of you, and I appreciate you coming out
and-and giving me a chance to take a look at this. And I wish you guys
the very, very best. -Okay, thank you.
-Thank you so much, Angel. Thank you, man. Appreciate it. NARRATOR:<i> Disappointed
that the copper sphere</i> <i> was not the one from the top</i> <i> of Tesla's
Colorado Springs laboratory,</i> <i> Jason returns to the ranch
to join Travis</i> <i> to help him
with his experiment.</i> <i> If Travis can prove
that Tesla's claim</i> <i> to have wirelessly illuminated
a light bulb using</i> <i> only the ground and a Tesla
coil to complete the circuit,</i> <i> then he will have come
a long way toward proving</i> <i> that Tesla's theories
on electrical energy</i> <i> were not only valid--
they were</i> <i> almost a century ahead
of their time.</i> -What's up, man?
-Hey, man. You boys are gonna be out here
all night? Man, I believe we are. But I
think you got here just in time. Right? All right. So what-what
do you need help with? NARRATOR:<i>
After their earlier attempt...</i> And the three of us
will take the bulbs... <i> ...Travis and the team
have determined</i> <i> that the Tesla coil
they brought to the lake,</i> <i> although powerful,</i> <i> could not generate
enough voltage</i> <i>to illuminate the antique bulb.</i> <i> For this reason,
they have decided</i> <i> to switch to a more
energy-receptive LED bulb.</i> All right. So, grab one
of the bulbs. I got the nails. -Let's take a look at our...
-Oh, and this toolbox. TAYLOR:<i>
First thing I want to do is see</i> how much the air is important. Can I just hold a light bulb up
in the air, turn on the Tesla coil,
and transmit power to it? So we're really gonna hold
these things in our hands -while we light 'em up?
-Dude, it'll be safe enough you can even hold it
in your mouth if you want to. -It's gonna be all right.
-I'm not gonna lie to you, man. -It makes me a little nervous.
-Makes you nervous? Well, if you're afraid of it,
I'll hold it, you big, tough Marine, you.
All right, set that box down
about right here, Kyle. -You stand right there,
just a little bit. -All right. We're ready to fire it up, guys! Arming the system. She's ready! Coming on! -(zapping)
-TAYLOR: Whoa! DAVIS: Yeah,
that's a little scary there. We're ready to fire it up, guys! Arming the system. Okay. She's ready! Coming on! EBY:
Firing the coil! It's on. Jason, I want you to do me
a favor. You got a free hand?
Take this nail. -Uh-huh.
-Let me hold on to this lead. -Look at that.
-Holy sm... Now I want you to touch
the ground with that metal. -Look at that. Whoa!
-(zapping) -(laughs)
-That jumped a little bit. DAVIS: Yeah, that was
a little scary, there. NARRATOR:<i> By using a Tesla coil
and nothing more</i> <i> than the conductive properties
of both the air</i> <i> and the ground between them,</i> <i> astrophysicist
Dr. Travis Taylor,</i> <i> along with investigative
journalist Jason Stapleton,</i> <i> research assistant Kyle Davis,</i> <i> and members of Applied Tesla
Technology, Inc. have</i> <i> -just successfully replicated</i>
-Oh, whoa, look at that. <i> one of Nikola Tesla's
most important experiments.</i> <i> They have also proved that
the strength of the current</i> <i> being generated by the coil</i> <i> directly affects
both the distance</i> <i> a light bulb can be lighted,
for example,</i> <i> and the brightness or strength</i> <i> of the light bulb being lit.</i> When you touch the rod,
look at that. <i> So, using the newer
light bulbs,</i> and we moved
a little further away, they would still light up, but only if we were
touching the ground. <i> We know that Tesla
connected grounding rods</i> <i> to the Earth and he
says he was transmitting power</i> <i> through the Earth.
It was part of the circuit.</i> Now, why-why does that work?
Why does that work like that? 'Cause we're connected to
the ground and it's showing us that the ground is having
some effect on it. So watch this.
Let's see. -All right. Let go of it.
Let go of it. -Okay, I let go. All right, look,
I'm off the ground. Nothing. Now grab that wire.
You're touching... you're touching the gr...
Look at that. <i> 'Cause, see,
it's going through me...</i> <i> -Through me. -...through you
to the Earth.</i> <i> And then back to the coil.</i> So, that is cool.
All right, so... So without the ground,
it doesn't work. Hey, Justin. Do y'all
have any longer metal rods? -Yeah.
-TAYLOR:<i> I could stand</i> on the insulating box, but then I would have to touch
one of the other guys who was making contact
with the ground. <i> Certainly the ground
had some effect,</i> <i>and then I needed to figure out</i> <i> just exactly
what that effect was.</i> All right,
let's bring the coil back up. -EBY: Okay. Arming.
-Light. Firing the coil. It's on. -Here, Kyle, hold that.
-Okay. Uh, grab that wire. -Okay.
-I mean, that works. I'm just gonna let that go. It's not gonna work. I'm gonna touch that.
Now... step up on the...
that edge of the box and hold your weight
on the-on the copper rod. All right? Now, Jason, let go of him. Now could you pick the rod up? -Ah, there it is.
-Look at that. Put the rod back down
on the ground. Look at... There we go. That's it.
It shows that the ground has some effect on it--
on-on transferring the power. -Yeah. -So when you-when you
pick the rod up, all right, there is power
coming through the air with electromagnetic waves. Then you put that down. The ground path
has some effect on that. -That creates the loop, right?
-Well, it, uh, it's creating the-the complete
circuit loop. All right,
so I think that's great. I have one other idea
that I'd like to try. The big finale on this was to actually
reproduce Tesla's experiment where the stories say
he walked out on the field and stuck light bulbs
up in the ground, walked away from 'em,
and they lit up. NARRATOR:<i> Given the fact
that the Tesla coils</i> <i>the scientist was using in 1899
were reportedly capable</i> <i>of generating 12 million volts,</i> <i> it's no wonder
that Tesla could boast</i> <i> of wirelessly lighting
an estimated 200 bulbs</i> <i> from a distance
of some 26 miles away.</i> <i> Locals sometimes complained
that when</i> <i> the scientist was
conducting his experiments,</i> <i> light bulbs in their own homes
flickered</i> <i> and horses in nearby stables</i> <i> -received an electric jolt</i>
-(neighs) <i> from the metal in their shoes.</i> <i> But other than
a few grainy photos</i> <i> and vague sketches to support
the scientist's claims,</i> <i> why is there so little proof</i> <i> of Tesla's incredible
accomplishments in Colorado?</i> <i> Could it perhaps have been
deliberately suppressed--</i> <i> or even stolen--</i> <i> along with the other
important information</i> <i> contained
in Tesla's missing files?</i> Well, we've shown already
that the ground is important. That if we're not
touching the ground, then the light bulb
doesn't light up. Right? That tells us that
Tesla was onto something, but we know the stories say he
stuck a light bulb in the ground and walked away from it
and it still lit up. So that's what I want to do. So, Jason, if you don't mind,
would you go put me a-a spike in the ground
right over there somewhere? -Sure, yeah.
-And, uh, then Kyle, let's-let's sit this thing up so we can set it up and walk
away from it without it falling. All right, I think
that's good. Let's... -Leads are good? -Yeah,
I think we're good. All right. All right.
Let's see. Right there. Like this... Put the red one on there. All right.
We don't want to stand this close to it-- we're gonna
walk away to a safe distance -and have them bring it up,
all right? -STAPLETON: Okay. All right, everybody has
a safe place-- all right, guys, -bring it up.
-HAYS: Okay, arming the system now. We are ready to go. Three, two, one. -(laughs)
-Yeah! Look at that. -Boom.
-We did it. That is awesome! -Touchdown! (whoops)
-All right, got to like that. STAPLETON:<i>
This was a trip--</i> <i>to see the light bulbs come on,</i> <i> to see it work,</i> <i> to understand
that we are helping</i> to validate, uh,
a science that's been lost and ideas that have
been lost is-is powerful. -I mean, it worked. Did you
see it? -HAYS: Sure did. -Did you see that?
That's awesome. -I did. -Unbelievable.
-Incredible, man. So what that shows us is that Tesla's stories of sticking a light bulb
in the ground and it-and it lighting up
and him walking away from it and it was still going is true.
I mean, he could have done it. We just did it here. Right?
So all the people who said it was fringe science
or he was a crackpot or he... what he did
wasn't-wasn't right-- well, it at least worked.
So we know that he was right about that. This is the stuff that I always
wanted to do in science class, -but we never got to do.
-That's the way -science class should be, man.
-That's right. -Is this not cool?
What do you think? -Absolutely. I can't believe
it actually worked. TAYLOR:<i>
Albert Einstein said</i> <i> that Tesla was
the smartest man on the planet,</i> <i> and we actually reproduced
one of his experiments today</i> <i> that people have
tried to debunk for years.</i> And now that we know
the experiment works, it makes me think, "What else
was in those missing files and all those trunks he had?" <i> How many inventions
and ideas and concepts</i> <i> might have been in there</i> <i> that we really need to look at</i> <i> and figure out just what doors
they might open?</i> All right, well let's-let's
pack up all of our stuff, and let's go.
Great work, guys. -It was awesome.
-Good job, guys. HAYS:
Thanks a lot. Y'all, too. EBY:
Ready for more experiments. <i> (line ringing)</i> SEIFER:<i>
Hey, guys.</i> -STAPLETON:<i> Hey, Marc. </i>
-TAYLOR:<i> Hey, morning, Marc.</i> -STAPLETON:<i> How are you, man?
-Good, how are you guys doing?</i> -It was a late night,
but, uh, we-we had -Yeah. some success,
so it was worth it. Uh, we finally
figured out the trick. We found out that if we were not
touching the ground, the light bulb
would not light up. SEIFER: Would you agree that
when they say the-the ground is a poor conductor,
that that's in error? STAPLETON:<i>
It's a necessary component.</i> TAYLOR:<i>
It was a necessary component.</i> SEIFER: I got to give you guys
props for replicating some of Tesla's work
that ties exactly to one of my research guys,
Kevin Leonard, and I got to tell you,
he came through in a big way. TAYLOR:
Yeah, we've got the documents. Yeah, this is pretty neat, Marc.
I really like... Uh, I can see the notes here, <i> and-and he's saying
that they're</i> <i> 750 miles or so apart,
it looks like.</i> <i> It's a quarter ways,
so we can tell</i> <i> what the wavelength
was gonna be.</i> <i> And the really interesting
thing is up here,</i> <i> where it says "Near vacuum of
upper atmosphere</i> <i>forming outer condenser shell."</i> Before they even came up with
the term "ionosphere," Tesla was dealing with
the ionosphere. You-You're exactly right. SEIFER:<i>
So we're getting</i> <i> a whole different view
of the Earth,</i> <i> you know what I mean?</i> <i> The Earth itself is filled</i> <i> with different types
of electrical energy</i> <i> running through it,
and Tesla's aware of that.</i> -Right. -I think that's why
I want to get you guys to Wardenclyffe, because Wardenclyffe
is the next stage for Tesla. NARRATOR:<i> Armed with the results
of his Colorado experiments,</i> <i> Nikola Tesla then
set his sights on building</i> <i> an even bigger version
of his Tesla coil.</i> <i> But this one
wouldn't only be capable</i> <i> of lighting 200 light bulbs
from a distance of 26 miles.</i> <i> This one could
wirelessly electrify</i> <i> entire cities.</i> <i> And from the vantage point
of a brand-new,</i> <i> state-of-the-art
electrical transmission station</i> <i> located in Shoreham,
Long Island--</i> <i> Wardenclyffe Tower.</i> Uh, how long will it take you to get us access
to Wardenclyffe? Well, I'm working on it.
I-I'm hoping -by the end of next week.
-If it's gonna be a week or so, I might want to look into doing some more testing with transferring power
to devices and stuff. That would be
absolutely fantastic. STAPLETON:<i>
Okay, Marc. Talk to you soon.</i> TAYLOR:<i>
All right, Marc.</i> NARRATOR:<i>
Nikola Tesla envisioned a world</i> <i> without wires.</i> <i>A world of remote powered cars,</i> <i> boats and trains.</i> <i> Where everything was powered</i> <i> by nature itself.</i> <i> But was someone--</i> <i> or some group--</i> <i> threatened by such a vision?</i> <i> And if so,</i> <i> did they actively
try to stop him</i> <i> and later try to keep his work</i> <i> from ever being known
to the public?</i> <i> Perhaps the answers lie</i> <i> in the missing Tesla files.</i> <i>Next time on</i> The Tesla Files... TAYLOR: I-I don't believe
this room is big enough to house everything
that he was working on. Some people believe <i>that it was stored in a tunnel.</i> TAYLOR:
Man, check that out. This place has its own power. <i> It was ahead of the curve.</i> <i> We want to get inside
the original lab.</i> <i> Holy smokes.</i> STAPLETON:<i> Tesla built
an almost 200-foot tower</i> <i> out in the middle of nowhere
in Wardenclyffe,</i> <i> and we know
almost nothing about it.</i> We'll start with
the ground-penetrating radar. STAPLETON:
This is the Holy Grail.