>> FREE WORLDWIDE WIRELESS ENERGY, DEATH RAYS, EARTHQUAKE MACHINES, REMOTE CONTROL, AND GREEN POWER-- ALL FROM THE FERTILE MIND OF THE GENIUS WHO ELECTRIFIED THE WORLD. NOW, NIKOLA TESLA'S "MAD ELECTRICITY" ON MODERN MARVELS. [MUSIC] >> HE WAS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO, BUT AFTER A WHILE, PEOPLE FORGOT ABOUT WHAT HE DID. >> I BELIEVE THAT HE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT INVENTOR IN HUMAN HISTORY. >> SOME OF HIS NEIGHBORS DID THINK HE WAS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY AND THOUGHT HE WAS A DANGER TO THEIR COMMUNITY. >> I THINK THAT HE HAD A DIFFERENT VERSION OF WHAT THE FUTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE. HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 20th CENTURY. [MUSIC] >> FOR THE POWER TO CHANGE NIGHT INTO DAY, THANK NIKOLA TESLA. >> IT'S CLEAR. THERE ARE SO MANY ASPECTS OF MODERN LIFE, EVERYDAY LIFE THAT IS DIRECTLY INFLUENCED OR CREATED BY NIKOLA TESLA. >> HIS ALTERNATING CURRENT OR AC POWER SYSTEM PAVED THE WAY FOR ALL OF OUR MODERN ELECTRIC CONVENIENCES. >> HE'S BASICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF ELECTRICITY, OUR ENTIRE MODERN WORLD. >> BUT TRAGICALLY, IN LATER YEARS, HIS BRILLIANCE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 200 PATENTS, WAS OVERSHADOWED BY WHAT SOME CONSIDERED MADNESS. >> HE WAS OFTEN SEEN AS SORT OF, THE MAD SCIENTIST WHO WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND WOULD DESTROY THE WORLD WHEN HE REALLY WANTED TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF HUMANITY. >> BECAUSE OF TESLA, A TURN OF THE SWITCH BRINGS POWER TO OUR FINGERTIPS, YET THE SAME INTELLECT FANATICALLY RESCUED INJURED PIGEONS, WAS REPULSED BY WOMEN'S JEWELRY AND CLAIMED TO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS FROM OUTER SPACE. >> "OUR VIRTUES AND OUR FAILINGS "ARE INSEPARABLE, "LIKE FORCE AND MATTER. "WHEN THEY SEPARATE, MAN IS NO MORE." NIKOLA TESLA. >> AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY, TESLA'S AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE CELEBRATED. BUT HE DIED IN 1943 AT THE NEW YORKER HOTEL IN THIS SMALL ROOM, VIRTUALLY DESTITUTE AND DISCREDITED, AS HE WATCHED THE WORLD HE HELPED CREATE SIMPLY FORGET HIM. NEVERTHELESS, THE FBI AMASSED A SECRET FILE ON TESLA, AND WHEN HE DIED, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TOOK CHARGE OF HIS SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. >> IF YOU'D LISTEN TO EVERYTHING HE TALKED ABOUT, IT WAS SO POWERFUL AND WAS SO FRIGHTENING AND SO TERRIFYING THAT THEY JUST POUNCED UPON ALL HIS POSSESSIONS AND WHISKED THEM AWAY. >> WHAT WERE THE POWERFUL AND TERRIFYING IDEAS THAT MAY HAVE THREATENED NATIONAL SECURITY? WERE THEY A MADMAN'S RANTINGS OR WORKS OF GENIUS? >> THERE'S STILL A PLACE FOR NIKOLA TESLA'S CONTRIBUTIONS. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY ONTO SOMETHING. MAYBE IT'S TIME TO LOOK BACK AND REINVESTIGATE WHAT TESLA WAS REALLY UP TO. >> WE KNOW ONE THING TESLA WAS UP TO: WIRELESS ENERGY THAT COULD BE TRANSMITTED AROUND THE WORLD. THE WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF POWER WOULD APPEAR OVER AND OVER AGAIN, EVEN IN TESLA'S MOST EXOTIC VISIONS. THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THIS REMARKABLE IDEA WAS THIS PECULIAR, YET POWERFUL INVENTION FIRST PATENTED IN 1891 BY TESLA AGE 35 CALLED THE TESLA COIL. >> NOTHING LIKE IT HAD EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. THINK OF THE TESLA COIL AS A GIANT ELECTRICAL PUMP. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A MODERN DAY TESLA COIL. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE POWER FROM A WALL OUTLET, FEED IT TO THE BASE OF THE UNIT WHERE WE'RE GONNA STEP UP THE VOLTAGE TREMENDOUSLY UNTIL IT COMES OUT THE TOP. SO I'M GONNA STEP BACK AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK. >> THIS TESLA COIL STEPS UP STANDARD VOLTAGE FROM A WALL OUTLET AT 120 VOLTS TO MORE THAN 500,000 VOLTS. IMAGINE ELECTRICITY FLOWING IN A WIRE THE SAME WAY AS WATER PUMPED THROUGH A HOSE. THE CURRENT CAN BE LIKENED TO THE FLOW OF WATER; THE VOLTAGE CAN BE LIKENED TO WATER PRESSURE. IF A NOZZLE IS ATTACHED TO THE HOSE, THE FORCE OF THE WATER PRESSURE IS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED WHILE THE FLOW OF WATER IS DECREASED. A TESLA COIL ACTS IN THE SAME WAY. BY PASSING THE CURRENT FROM A SMALL PRIMARY COIL, TO A SECONDARY MUCH LARGER COIL. IT STEPS UP THE VOLTAGE TREMENDOUSLY, AND REDUCES THE CURRENT. THIS MAKES THE TESLA COIL A TRANSFORMER. >> MUCH LIKE FIRE FIGHTERS WOULD CONNECT A BIG HOSE TO A FIRE HYDRANT AND THEN USE THE NOZZLE TO SPRAY THAT WATER VERY FAR AWAY, THE TESLA COIL DOES THE SAME THING. >> USING AN ENORMOUS TESLA COIL, THE INVENTOR WANTED TO PUMP THE EARTH AND ATMOSPHERE FULL OF ELECTRIC ENERGY. HE BELIEVED HE COULD USE THE EARTH AS A NATURAL CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY AND SEND POWER AROUND THE WORLD. IN ESSENCE, THE EARTH WOULD BECOME A GIANT ELECTRICAL OUTLET. TO PROVE HIS WILDLY ORIGINAL THEORY, TESLA LEFT HIS HOME IN NEW YORK CITY AND BEGAN EXPERIMENTING WITH WIRELESS POWER IN 1899 AT THE AGE OF 43, ON THE WINDSWEPT PRAIRIES OF COLORADO. >> HE BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS SOME SPECIFIC FREQUENCY AT WHICH THE EARTH COULD BE STRUCK AS WITH A HAMMER. TESLA BELIEVED THAT THE EARTH COULD BE RUNG ELECTRICALLY JUST AS A BELL CAN BE RUNG WITH A CLAPPER. >> HE CONSTRUCTED A LABORATORY AND TOWER THAT SOARED 80 FEET INTO THE AIR. INSIDE THE BARN-LIKE STRUCTURE WAS AN ENORMOUS TESLA COIL. >> FOR TESLA TO BE CREATING THESE ELECTRICAL ARCHS IN HIS LABORATORY WAS VERY UNSETTLING TO THE PEOPLE IN COLORADO BECAUSE THEY FELT THAT HE WAS CONJURING THE WORK OF GOD. >> BY TAPPING INTO THE LOCAL ELECTRIC POWER FROM COLORADO SPRINGS, TESLA'S COIL PRODUCED MORE THAN 12 MILLION VOLTS. HE OFTEN DEMONSTRATED HIS WIRELESS CONCEPT BY ILLUMINATING A PHOSPHORESCENT BULB WHILE HOLDING IT IN HIS HAND. >> WHEN THE MACHINE IS ON, THE ENTIRE LAB IS FILLED WITH HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICITY. I'M GONNA GRAB THIS FLUORESCENT LIGHT AND SHOW YOU WHAT I MEAN. >> THE TESLA COIL OUTPUTS ELECTRIC ENERGY WITHOUT HARMING HUMANS SIMILAR TO THE WAY TRANSMISSION TOWERS BOMBARD US WITH RADIO WAVES. >> WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS ELECTRICITY FLY THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE TESLA COIL TO THE BULB LIGHTING IT. THAT'S THE ESSENCE OF TESLA'S ORIGINAL IDEA. HE WANTED TO TRANSMIT POWER GLOBALLY SO THAT PEOPLE NEED ONLY RECEIVE IT TO USE IT. >> TESLA CLAIMED HIS EXPERIMENTS IN COLORADO WERE A SUCCESS AND HE HAD ACHIEVED THE WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF POWER ILLUMINATING LIGHT BULBS UP TO ONE MILE AWAY. IN ADDITION TO PRONOUNCEMENTS OF HIS COLORADO ELECTRICAL DISCOVERIES, TESLA ALSO MADE AN EVEN MORE STARTLING CLAIM, THAT HE RECEIVED MESSAGES FROM OUTER SPACE. >> HE GOT A LOT OF FLACK WHEN HE CAME BACK TO NEW YORK FOR SAYING, "I'VE SPOKEN TO MARS" OR TALKING TO MARTIANS, BUT IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE THE IDEAS THAT HE WERE USING ARE EXACTLY THE IDEAS THAT WE'RE USING NOW TO SEND MESSAGES OUT INTO OUTER SPACE. WE'RE SENDING RADIO WAVES OUT INTO OUTER SPACE TO TRY OUT SEE IF ANYONE IS OUT THERE. SO PEOPLE BACK THEN REALLY HAD SOME IDEA THAT HE MIGHT BE CRAZY BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY PROBABLY REALLY AHEAD OF HIS TIME. >> TESLA BELIEVED HE HAD CROSSED A THRESHOLD AND PROVEN HE COULD SEND POWER WIRELESSLY. HE JUST HAD TO FIND MORE MONEY TO BUILD AN EVEN BIGGER TRANSMITTER. TESLA RETURNED TO THE EAST COAST. ON LONG ISLAND SOUND, IN THE TOWN OF SHOREHAM, A STREET SIGN MARKS THE ENTRANCE TO A NOW ABANDONED AND FORGOTTEN LOCATION. IN 1901, BASED ON HIS COLORADO EXPERIMENTS, TESLA BEGAN TO BUILD HIS VISIONARY WIRELESS POWER NETWORK HERE ON THIS SITE. HE CALLED IT "WARDENCLYFFE." IT WAS COMPRISED OF A LABORATORY AND POWER PLANT. ADJACENT TO IT WAS A TREMENDOUS 187-FOOT TOWER. POWER FROM THE PLANT WAS SENT TO A GIANT TESLA COIL IN THE TOWER. UNDERNEATH THE TOWER, THE INVENTOR SANK HUGE SHAFTS 120 FEET INTO THE SOIL TO TRANSMIT THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT INTO THE EARTH. THIS WAS TO BE THE FIRST OF MANY TRANSMITTERS IN A SYSTEM THAT WOULD ENCIRCLE THE WORLD WITH WIRELESS ENERGY. THE VAST AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY NECESSARY WOULD COME FROM HUGE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS CRAZY BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SEEING AND WHAT HE WAS ENVISIONING FOR THE FUTURE. HE WAS ABLE TO CONCEIVE OF THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE WEREN'T. HE WAS A VISIONARY. >> BUT EVEN VISIONARIES NEED MONEY. SO, IN ORDER TO CONVINCE INDUSTRIALIST J.P. MORGAN TO INVEST $150,000 TO BUILD WARDENCLYFFE, TESLA PROMISED THE FINANCIER THE TOWER WOULD MAKE MILLIONS BY ALSO BROADCASTING MESSAGES, NEWS, MUSIC, AND EVEN PICTURES TO ANY PART OF THE WORLD. >> THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION FOR TESLA'S TOWER. IF YOU LOOK, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S AN EIGHT-SIDED FIGURE. IT HAD A HUGE HOLE DOWN IN THE GROUND RIGHT IN FRONT OF WHERE I'M STANDING, 120 FEET DOWN AND A SPIRAL STAIRCASE WENT AROUND IT. AND THEN UP INTO THE SKY 187 FEET WAS THE TOWER. THE TOWER WAS ATTACHED BY HUGE TIMBERS ON BARS LIKE THIS AT EACH OF THE POINTS ALONG THE SIDE FOUNDATION WALLS. IT LOOMED OVER EVERYTHING IN THE AREA. IT WAS OVERWHELMING WHEN YOU THINK OF THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF SUCH A HUGE, HUGE CONSTRUCTION. >> THIS IS THE ACTUAL LAB AND POWER PLANT AT WARDENCLYFFE, WHERE TESLA WORKED FOR MORE THAN FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DEVELOP HIS WIRELESS CONCEPT. IT WAS PURCHASED BY A PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY MORE THAN 60 YEARS AGO, AFTER REMODELING, ONLY A PART OF THE OUTSIDE LAB REMAINS. >> REALLY GETTING TO GO INSIDE. THIS IS SO EXCITING. >> THIS DOOR HASN'T BEEN OPENED IN A WHILE. >> ALTHOUGH THE BUILDING HASN'T BEEN USED IN MORE THAN A DECADE, THE OWNERS AGREE TO OPEN THE DOORS TO "MODERN MARVELS" FOR A RARE LOOK INSIDE. >> WOW. OH, THIS IS INCREDIBLE. THIS IS AMAZING TO BE IN HERE WHERE TESLA WORKED, WHERE HE SPENT TIME WITH HIS ASSISTANTS. IT'S JUST AMAZING THAT OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, TESLA WAS WALKING IN THESE VERY WALLS. HIS EQUIPMENT WAS HERE, HIS DREAMS WERE ALIVE, HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT HE HOPED WOULD BE A VERY GLORIOUS FUTURE. >> IN PART, IT WAS TIMING THAT ULTIMATELY DOOMED WARDENCLYFFE. ON DECEMBER 12, 1901, AS TESLA WAS WORKING AT HIS WIRELESS NETWORK, GUGLIELMO MARCONI BEAT HIM TO THE PUNCH AND SUCCESSFULLY TRANSMITTED A RADIO SIGNAL ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. WHILE MARCONI'S ACHIEVEMENT WERE INDEED A FIRST, IN REALITY, HE USED 17 OF TESLA'S PATENTS TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT. TESLA WAS NOT ONLY FORGOTTEN AS THE FATHER OF RADIO, MARCONI'S TRANSMISSION SEALED THE FATE OF WARDENCLYFFE. >> MORGAN WAS NO LONGER INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING TESLA'S WORK HERE. MARCONI ALREADY DID IT, WHY SHOULD HE KEEP SUPPORTING TESLA? AND OF COURSE, TESLA'S PLAN WAS GREATER THAN MORGAN KNEW. TESLA COULD SEE REASON TO CONTINUE THE FUNDING AND CONTINUE THE WORK, BUT IT WASN'T MORGAN'S PLAN. >> SO, IN 1905, WHILE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND AFTER SOME AMAZING ELECTRICAL DISPLAYS, THE WARDENCLYFFE PROJECT WAS ABANDONED AND LATER DESTROYED. >> "THE WORLD WAS NOT PREPARED "FOR IT. "IT WAS TOO FAR AHEAD "OF ITS TIME, "BUT THE SAME LAWS WILL PREVAIL "IN THE END AND MAKE IT A TRIUMPHANT SUCCESS," NIKOLA TESLA. >> BUT COULD TESLA HAVE SUCCEEDED. THE MAINSTREAM SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY HAS GRAVE DOUBTS. >> TESLA'S SCHEMES FOR WORLDWIDE ELECTRIFICATION WAS SIMPLY OUT OF THE QUESTION. IT MAKES NO SENSE FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE ENERGY INVOLVED AND THE INEFFICIENCY OF IT. >> STILL, SOME AREN'T SURE. >> I BELIEVE THAT THE WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF POWER IS POSSIBLE. THE CHANCE THAT POWER COULD BE TRANSMITTED AROUND THE GLOBE WITHOUT WIRES WAS TOO GREAT A DISCOVERY TO PASS UP. >> JEFF PARISSE, A HIGH VOLTAGE TECHNICIAN FROM KVA EFFECTS IN SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, WAS PART OF A TEAM THAT BUILT THE LARGEST TESLA COIL IN MODERN TIMES, THE 13M. >> THE REASON THAT 13M WAS BUILT WAS TO GIVE SCIENTISTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE SOME OF TESLA'S WIRELESS TRANSMISSION THEORIES TO SEE IF THEY'RE PRACTICAL. >> THE 13M GENERATES CLOSE TO 12 MILLION VOLTS OF POWER. IN 1998, THE TEAM TESTED THE GIANT TESLA COIL. >> WHAT WE LEARNED IS THAT THE MACHINE WE BUILT IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH. IT'S ACTUALLY A QUARTER SCALE VERSION OF WHAT TESLA MADE IN COLORADO SPRINGS, AND IT SEEMS A MACHINE THAT LARGE IS REALLY NECESSARY. WE HOPE IN THE FUTURE THAT WE'LL HAVE THE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD A FULL SCALE TESLA COIL AND PROVE HIS THEORIES. >> HOW CAN IT BE THAT A CENTURY AFTER THE FAILURE OF WARDENCLYFFE, TESLA'S IDEAS ARE STILL SO PASSIONATELY CONSIDERED? PERHAPS, IT'S BECAUSE LONG BEFORE WARDENCLYFFE, TESLA HAD ALREADY CHANGED THE WORLD. "MAD ELECTRICITY" WILL RETURN ON "MODERN MARVELS." WE NOW RETURN TO "MAD ELECTRICITY," ON "MODERN MARVELS." TODAY, WE TAKE OUR ELECTRIFIED WORLD FOR GRANTED. ENERGY THAT POWERS OUR NEEDS IS AS CLOSE AS THE NEAREST OUTLET. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, THE MAN WHO MADE IT ALL HAPPEN WAS BORN IN CROATIA IN 1856 AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT DURING AN ELECTRICAL STORM. >> TESLA IS IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, WITH ELECTRICITY. TESLA BEGAN HIS CAREER AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER WITH A TELEPHONE COMPANY IN BUDAPEST IN 1881. ONE DAY, AS HE WAS WALKING THROUGH A PARK WITH A FRIEND, TESLA SUDDENLY ENVISIONED A GROUNDBREAKING CONCEPT FOR A NEW ELECTRIC MOTOR AND DREW IT OUT IN THE DIRT. THIS SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION BECAME THE PATENT FOR THE INDUCTION MOTOR, WHICH WOULD GO ON TO BE THE STANDARD ELECTRIC MOTOR FOR THE WORLD. IT'S USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM TOOLS AND APPLIANCES TO HYBRID CARS, TO INDUSTRIAL PLANTS. THE INDUCTION MOTOR WORKS BY ENERGIZING COILS OF WIRE PLACED AROUND A STATIONARY FRAME CALLED A STATOR. THIS INDUCES THE CURRENT IN THE COILS ONTO A ROTOR. THE ALTERNATING CURRENT IN THE COILS CAUSES THE POLES OF THE MAGNETIC FIELDS AROUND THEM TO CHANGE BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH. THE RESULTING ATTRACTION AND REPULSION WITH THE COILS AS THEY ALTERNATE CAUSES THE ROTOR TO SPIN. >> AND THE EXACT SAME IDEAS THAT NIKOLA TESLA CAME UP WITH 100 YEARS AGO ARE STILL USED TODAY IN INDUCTION MOTORS SUCH AS THIS ONE. THE MOTOR IS MADE OF TWO PARTS: THE ROTOR AND THE COIL. WITHIN THE COIL, A NORTH-SOUTH MAGNETIC FIELD ROTATES, AND AS THE MAGNETIC FIELD ROTATES, THE ROTOR FOLLOWS IT. JUST LIKE IT DID 100 YEARS AGO WHEN NIKOLA TESLA MADE THE FIRST PROTOTYPE. >> IN 1884, AT AGE 28, TESLA MOVED TO AMERICA WITH LITTLE MONEY AND ONLY A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FROM HIS BOSS TO THOMAS EDISON. THE LETTER SIMPLY READ, "I KNOW TWO GREAT MEN "AND YOU ARE ONE OF THEM, THIS YOUNG MAN IS THE OTHER." EDISON HIRED THE BRILLIANT, YOUNG ENGINEER AND EVENTUALLY ASKED HIM TO REDESIGN HIS COMPANY'S ELECTRIC GENERATORS FOR A $50,000 BONUS. AFTER TESLA DEVELOPED A NUMBER OF ENORMOUSLY PROFITABLE NEW PATENTS, HE ASKED EDISON FOR HIS BONUS. >> EDISON SAYS, "YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. "YOU GOT A LOT TO LEARN "ABOUT AN AMERICAN'S SENSE OF HUMOR," AND HE DOESN'T GIVE HIM THE $50,000, AND TESLA TURNS AROUND IMMEDIATELY AND SAYS, "WELL, MR. EDISON, I RESIGN." >> SO BEGAN A LIFELONG FEUD BETWEEN THE UPSTART YOUNG GENIUS AND THE ESTABLISHED INVENTOR. >> TESLA LEAVES EDISON'S AND HE WAS DIGGING DITCHES IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A YEAR, A VERY, VERY DARK TIME. ALL OF HIS DREAMS ARE IN SHAMBLES AT THIS POINT. >> WHILE TOILING TO FEED HIMSELF AND RAISE CAPITAL FOR NEW INVENTIONS, TESLA WAS APPALLED AT THE WEB OF POWER WIRES STRUNG UP IN THE CITY. >> THE WHOLE SYSTEM WAS A NIGHTMARE OF CABLES AND WIRING OVERHEAD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IN SOME AREAS IT EVEN BLOCKED OUT THE SUN. >> THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HE FOUND DEFICIENT WAS CALLED DIRECT CURRENT OR DC. EDISON, TESLA'S FORMER EMPLOYER, WAS A MAJOR INVESTOR IN DC POWER. TESLA KNEW THERE WAS A BETTER WAY AND WAS DETERMINED TO INVENT A NEW SYSTEM THAT WOULD BECOME THE GLOBAL STANDARD, ALTERNATING CURRENT OR AC. >> HERE'S A DIRECT CURRENT CABLE THAT WOULD CARRY ABOUT A MILLION WATTS TO LIGHT A TYPICAL NEW YORK CITY BLOCK. USING ALTERNATING CURRENT IN TESLA'S AC SYSTEM, A SMALL WIRE SUCH AS THIS COULD POWER THE SAME AMOUNT OF HOMES. SAME AMOUNT OF POWER, JUST LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE. >> THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AC AND DC POWER IS ALL ABOUT HOW ELECTRICITY OR ELECTRONS FLOW. FOR DC CURRENT TO WORK, THERE MUST BE A CONTINUOUS AND DIRECT FLOW OF ELECTRONS ALONG A WIRE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE POLES. >> WHEN POWER IS APPLIED, ELECTRONS AS SIGNIFIED BY THE RED BAND, MOVE TO THE WORK, DO THE WORK, AND THEN COME ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE GENERATOR. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS PROCESS IS THAT THE ELECTRONS ENCOUNTER RESISTANCE ALONG THESE WIRES. IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ELECTRONS TO TRAVEL THESE GREAT DISTANCES, SO MOST OF THE ENERGY IN THIS SYSTEM IS LOST IN THE WIRE. >> WELL, THE WAY THOMAS EDISON ENVISIONED HIS SYSTEM, HE WOULD HAVE TO PUT A POWER PLANT JUST ABOUT EVERY MILE TO KEEP THE VOLTAGE STEADY ALONG HIS DC POWER GRID. >> IN 1887, TESLA FILED SEVEN U.S. PATENTS FOR ANOTHER MORE EFFICIENT AND CHEAPER POWER SYSTEM CALLED ALTERNATING CURRENT. >> WHAT TESLA DISCOVERED IN HIS AC SYSTEM WAS IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO SEND THE ELECTRONS ALL THE WAY TO THE WORK AND BACK AGAIN. IN FACT, HE ALTERNATED THE CURRENT SENDING IT BACK AND FORTH. >> TESLA DEVELOPED A SYSTEM OF AC GENERATORS THAT ALTERNATED ELECTRIC CURRENT BETWEEN NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE POLES AT 60 CYCLES PER SECOND, BY SENDING AC THROUGH A TRANSFORMER, WITH VIRTUALLY NO POWER LOSS, HE COULD STEP UP THE VOLTAGE AND LOWER THE CURRENT SO THAT AC COULD BE EFFICIENTLY TRANSMITTED HUNDREDS OF MILES FURTHER THAN DC. MILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE THOUGHT TESLA'S INVENTIONS COULD BE THE KEY TO LONG DISTANCE POWER TRANSMISSION. HE PURCHASED THE PATENTS FOR $60,000 AND A HEALTHY SHARE OF STOCK IN THE WESTINGHOUSE CORPORATION. IF THE NEW AC SYSTEM WAS SUCCESSFUL, TESLA WOULD BE A RICH MAN. NIKOLA TESLA BECAME A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1891. THE SAME YEAR AN ALL-OUT CURRENT WAR ERUPTED BETWEEN HIS AC AND EDISON'S DC POWER. EDISON LAUNCHED A PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN TO SHOW THE DANGERS OF AC. >> THE PUBLIC, THEY HAD RATHER GROTESQUE EXPERIMENTS WHERE THEY WOULD TAKE ANIMALS AND ELECTROCUTE THEM WITH ALTERNATING CURRENT. >> EDISON CONVINCED NEW YORK STATE TO USE TESLA'S AND WESTINGHOUSE'S AC POWER FOR THE VERY FIRST ELECTROCUTION IN 1890. A REPORTER CALLED IT "A GRUESOME SPECTACLE, FAR WORSE THAN ANY HANGING." EDISON DUBBED THE TECHNIQUE "WESTINGHOUSING." >> WHETHER IT WAS ELECTROCUTING ANIMALS OR ELECTROCUTING PRISONERS, THE THRUST WAS, THIS IS SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT IN YOUR HOUSE. >> IN 1893, DESPITE THE BAD PRESS, TESLA AND THE WESTINGHOUSE CORPORATION WON THE BID FOR ILLUMINATING THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR, THE FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC FAIR IN HISTORY. EDISON, WHO MADE AN UNSUCCESSFUL BID, WAS FRUSTRATED OVER LOSING THIS OPPORTUNITY AND REFUSED TO LET TESLA USE HIS PATENTED LIGHT BULBS. >> SO TESLA NEEDED TO COME UP WITH A NEW LIGHT BULB, MAKE 250,000 OF THEM IN SIX MONTHS' TIME TO LIGHT THE FAIR. EDISON'S BULB HAD A SCREW BASE AT THE BOTTOM. HE PATENTED THE WHOLE METHOD OF POWERING THE BULB THROUGH THIS SCREW BASE AND HOW TO SEAL THE VACUUM OFF INSIDE. TESLA'S SOLUTION WAS TO HAVE A GROUND GLASS STOPPER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BULB. THE WIRES PASSED THROUGH THE STOPPER AND HE WAS ABLE TO MANUFACTURE A BULB THAT DIDN'T INTERFERE WITH EDISON'S PATENTS. TESLA WAS ABLE TO BEAT EDISON AT HIS OWN GAME BY PRODUCING A LAMP THAT WAS MORE EASY TO MANUFACTURE, AND HE WAS ABLE TO DO SO IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. >> ON MAY 1, 1893, PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND PUSHED A BUTTON AND MORE THAN 200,000 OF TESLA'S INCANDESCENT LAMPS ILLUMINATED THE FAIRGROUNDS. IT WAS A MONUMENTAL SUCCESS AND USHERED IN THE ERA OF MODERN ELECTRIC LIGHTING. >> TESLA WAS HAILED THE MASTERMIND AND THE GENIUS BEHIND MAKING THIS POSSIBLE, AND HIS NAME WAS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD AFTER THIS EVENT. >> TESLA, FILLED WITH CONFIDENCE AFTER THIS VICTORY OVER EDISON, BELIEVED AC WOULD BE THE CURRENT OF THE FUTURE. IN ORDER TO PROVE IT, HE WOULD TRY TO HARNESS THE POWER OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST NATURAL WONDERS. "MAD ELECTRICITY" WILL RETURN ON "MODERN MARVELS." [MUSIC] WE NOW RETURN TO "MAD ELECTRICITY," ON "MODERN MARVELS." MILLIONS HAVE WITNESSED ITS STUNNING POWER. NIAGARA FALLS CAN SEND MORE THAN 750,000 GALLONS OF WATER OVER ITS CREST EVERY SECOND, PRODUCING ENOUGH POWER TO GENERATE 2.4 MILLION KILOWATTS OF ELECTRICITY. AT THAT RATE, THE FALLS COULD POWER HALF OF LAS VEGAS ON A HOT SUMMER NIGHT. EVER SINCE PIONEERS BEGAN BUILDING SAWMILLS ALONG THE NIAGARA RIVER IN THE 1700s, MANY HAD ENVISIONED GRAND NEW WAYS TO HARNESS THE THUNDEROUS POWER OF THE FALLS. IN 1893, AFTER WITNESSING TESLA AND WESTINGHOUSE'S TRIUMPH AT THE CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR, THE NIAGARA FALLS COMMISSION AWARDED THEM THE CONTRACT TO TAP THE FALLS FOR GENERATING ALTERNATING CURRENT. >> THE BIG PROBLEM WITH USING NIAGARA FALLS FOR ELECTRICITY WAS THAT THE MAJOR CONSUMER OF THAT ELECTRIC POWER WAS BUFFALO. BUFFALO IS ABOUT 20 MILES OR SO, AND USING DC TRANSMISSION WAS TOTALLY IMPRACTICAL BECAUSE A REPEATER STATION WOULD HAVE TO HAVE BEEN BUILT EVERY TWO MILES. AC AVOIDED ALL OF THAT. >> AT THE FALLS, TESLA DESIGNED AND ENGINEERED A COMPLEX SYSTEM OF GENERATORS AND TRANSFORMERS TO PRODUCE HIS AC POWER. >> TESLA DIDN'T WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING. MOST OF HIS STUFF WAS IN HIS HEAD. HE HAD TO DO IT VERBALLY. TESLA WAS IN HIS OWN LITTLE WORLD, MORE OR LESS. HE WOULD NOT EXPLAIN THINGS TO OTHER PEOPLE, BUT HIS ASSISTANTS WOULD. >> IN 1896, THE FIRST AC HYDROELECTRIC STATION FOR LONG DISTANCE POWER TRANSMISSION WENT ONLINE, AND BUFFALO BECAME THE PREMIERE CITY FOR AC POWER'S POTENTIAL. >> TESLA WAS NOT HERE WHEN THEY ACTUALLY FLIPPED THE SWITCH. BUT HE HAD SO MUCH CONFIDENCE IN HIS OWN WORK THAT HE KNEW IT WOULD WORK. >> TODAY, NEW POWER PLANTS HAVE REPLACED TESLA'S STRUCTURES. THE BUILDINGS OF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL SITES IN THE MODERN WORLD NOW STAND LIKE DINOSAURS, FORGOTTEN. AND FOR THE MAN WHO ENVISIONED IT ALL, ONLY AN ISOLATED STATUE MARKS HIS EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT. >> I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO COME BY HERE PAST THIS STATUE ACTUALLY HAVE ANY IDEA WHO NIKOLA TESLA WAS AND WHAT HE DID TO SHAPE THEIR WORLD. >> TODAY, OUR WORLD IS ABLAZE, THANKS TO TESLA'S AC TECHNOLOGY. HE HAD WON HIS FINAL BATTLE WITH EDISON, BUT VICTORY CAME AT AN ENORMOUS COST. WESTINGHOUSE WAS FINANCIALLY DRAINED BY THE WAR OF THE CURRENTS. IN A GRAND GESTURE TO KEEP THE COMPANY AFLOAT, TESLA TORE UP HIS ROYALTIES CONTRACT, CLAIMING BETTER INVENTIONS LAY AHEAD. >> HAD THE CONTRACT BEEN FULFILLED, TESLA WOULD HAVE BEEN A MILLIONAIRE AND BEEN FREE OF FINANCIAL WORRIES THE REST OF HIS LIFE. >> "MONEY DOES NOT REPRESENT "SUCH A VALUE "AS MEN HAD PLACED UPON IT. "ALL MY MONEY HAS BEEN INVESTED "INTO EXPERIMENTS "WITH WHICH I HAVE MADE "NEW DISCOVERIES, "ENABLING MANKIND TO HAVE A LITTLE EASIER LIFE." >> AFTER THE TRIUMPH OVER EDISON AND THE SUCCESS OF HIS ALTERNATING CURRENT, NIKOLA TESLA WAS A CELEBRITY. >> AND HE'S FRIENDS WITH MARK TWAIN, HE'S FRIENDS WITH ALL MANNER OF AMBASSADORS AND BALLERINAS AND PRIMA DONNAS, AND HE'S REALLY KIND OF AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SOCIETY. >> GENIUS OFTEN COMES WITH A PRICE. TESLA SUFFERED FROM BIZARRE COMPULSIONS, LIKE HIS CONSUMING NEED TO RESCUE INJURED PIGEONS AND NURSE THEM BACK TO HEALTH. >> HE HAS AN INFIRMARY FOR THEM RIGHT OUTSIDE HIS BEDROOM WINDOW, WHERE HE IS TRYING TO HEAL, YOU KNOW, SOME THAT HAVE BROKEN WINGS, BROKEN LEGS. AND IN FACT, AT ONE POINT, HE ACTUALLY REFERRED TO ONE BIRD AS HIS WIFE. AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE DIED THE INVENTIVE SPIRIT LEFT HIM. >> TESLA HAD A FEAR OF GERMS THAT COMPELLED HIM TO WASH HIS HANDS CONSTANTLY. HE DID THINGS IN THREE'S AND WAS ADAMANT ABOUT LIVING AT THE NEW YORKER HOTEL IN A ROOM WITH A NUMBER DIVISIBLE BY THREE. >> HE DEMANDED THE ROOM 3327 WHERE HE'D LIVE FOR 10 YEARS. HE ALWAYS REQUESTED NINE NAPKINS AND HE HAD A BREAD OR SOMETHING IT COULD BE CUT INTO NINE, THREE TIMES THREE PIECES. EVEN THE NUMBER OF DISHES HE HAD OR THE NUMBER OF TOWELS HE RECEIVED IN THIS ROOM, WAS USUALLY THREE OR NINE. >> TESLA NEVER MARRIED AND CLAIMED HE WAS CELIBATE. >> HE HAD A HORRIBLE AFFLICTION AGAINST WOMEN WITH PIERCED EARS. HE COULDN'T STAND THE SIGHT OF PIERCED EARS AND JEWELRY AND PEARL EARRINGS, HE SAID, JUST SET HIS TEETH ON EDGE, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE FINGERS ON A CHALKBOARD FOR HIM TO SEE PEARL EARRINGS. >> EVEN WITH HIS LIST OF OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS, TESLA HAD ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO TAP INTO HIS REMARKABLE INVENTIVE INTELLECT. IN 1898, HE GAVE BIRTH TO REMOTE CONTROL WHEN HE DEMONSTRATED A SIX-FOOT-LONG RADIO WAVE CONTROLLED BOAT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. ON A QUIET LAKE IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, TESLA'S WORK IS ALIVE AND WELL AS A FLEET OF REMOTE CONTROLLED MODEL BOATS SET SAIL. THIS IS VERY MUCH LIKE TESLA DID A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. >> INSIDE THESE BOATS ARE THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF REMOTE CONTROL TESLA CONCEIVED AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY. A BATTERY INSIDE THE REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE SENDS POWER TO AN OSCILLATOR THAT CONVERTS IT INTO A RADIO WAVE PULSE. THE RADIO WAVE IS TRANSMITTED TO A SMALL RECEIVER ON THE BOAT, WHICH SENDS THE ELECTRIC PULSE TO A MOTOR. VARYING THE PULSE OF THE RADIO WAVE FROM THE TRANSMITTER TO THE RECEIVER CAUSES THE MOTOR'S ARMS TO MOVE IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. USING A JOYSTICK, THE OPERATOR CONTROLS THE RADIO PULSE SIGNAL AND CONTROLS THE BOAT. TESLA'S REMOTE CONTROL PRINCIPLES ARE SEEN TODAY IN EVERYTHING FROM TELEVISIONS TO UNMANNED MILITARY PREDATOR DRONES USED FOR BATTLEFIELD RECONNAISSANCE, TO SATELLITES OPERATING IN SPACE. ALTHOUGH MANY OF TESLA'S INVENTIONS WOULD PROVE TO BE A BENEFIT TO SOCIETY, HIS VISIONARY THOUGHTS ALSO TRAVELED DOWN A DARKER ROAD TO MORE FRIGHTENING AND DESTRUCTIVE DESTINATIONS. [MUSIC] "MAD ELECTRICITY" WILL RETURN ON "MODERN MARVELS." HERE ON "HISTORY." [MUSIC] >> WE NOW RETURN TO "MAD ELECTRICITY," ON "MODERN MARVELS." ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCES IN NATURE IS AN EARTHQUAKE. SUPPOSE THAT POWER WAS HARNESSED AS A WEAPON. SOME BELIEVE TESLA MAY HAVE DISCOVERED A WAY. >> THE TESLA'S EARTHQUAKE MACHINE WAS A MECHANICAL OSCILLATOR, WHICH IS BASICALLY A MACHINE THAT PRODUCES VIBRATIONS. AND BY PRODUCING THESE VIBRATIONS, THE MACHINE COULD BE MADE TO RESONATE WITH DIFFERENT STRUCTURES. >> THE OSCILLATOR MACHINE IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT EVERY SUBSTANCE WHEN STIMULATED HAS A RESONANT FREQUENCY. IF THE FREQUENCY IS MATCHED AND AMPLIFIED BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE SUCH AS THE OSCILLATOR MACHINE, ANY MATERIAL CAN BE LITERALLY SHAKEN TO PIECES. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE IN WASHINGTON IN 1940 DEMONSTRATED THIS PRINCIPLE. THE WINDS WHIPPING AROUND THE BRIDGE HIT JUST THE RIGHT FREQUENCY CAUSING THE STEEL BRIDGE TO SWAY VIOLENTLY IN A RHYTHMIC PATTERN THAT FINALLY BROKE IT APART. >> TO DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF RESONANCE, WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO A WINE GLASS AS IT VIBRATES THROUGH ITS BREAKING POINT. FIRST, I'LL START THE GLASS VIBRATING AND USE A MICROPHONE, CONNECTED TO AN OSCILLOSCOPE TO SEE WHAT FREQUENCY THE GLASS VIBRATES AT. I'LL THEN SET THE FREQUENCY ON A SIGNAL GENERATOR, WHICH IS GOING TO PLAY IT BACK THROUGH AN AMPLIFIER INTO A SPEAKER. BECAUSE THE GLASS IS GOING TO BE MOVING MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED TIMES PER SECOND, WE'LL BE USING A STROBE LIGHT IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN THE MOTION. NOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE LOUD SO I HAVE TO WEAR SOME PROTECTION. AS THE VIBRATIONS INCREASE IN INTENSITY, THE GLASS WILL START TO MOVE MORE AND MORE AND EVENTUALLY, IT CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. SO AS I TURN UP THE VOLUME, THE GLASS WILL BREAK. SO WHAT WE SAW WAS LIKE A MINI EARTHQUAKE AND TESLA'S EARTHQUAKE MACHINE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THIS, BUT ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE. >> IN 1898, TESLA CLAIMED TO HAVE CREATED AN OSCILLATOR WITH AN ADJUSTABLE FREQUENCY THAT WAS NO BIGGER THAN AN ALARM CLOCK, AND WROTE OF AN ATTEMPT TO USE IT ON A BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION. >> "IN A FEW MINUTES, "I FELT THE BUILDING "BEGINNING TO TREMBLE. "TEN MINUTES MORE "AND I COULD HAVE LAID IT "IN THE STREET, "AND WITH THE SAME DEVICE, "I COULD HAVE DROPPED "THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE "INTO THE EAST RIVER IN LESS THAN AN HOUR." >> PERHAPS, THIS OPENED A PANDORA'S BOX DURING LATER EXPERIMENTS WITH THE DEVICE. >> THERE'S A LEGEND THAT HE STARTED UP HIS LITTLE OSCILLATOR, OR WHAT SOME CALL "THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE," AND HE STARTED VIBRATING LOWER MANHATTAN-- A CALL WENT OUT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE CAME RUNNING. THEY'RE POUNDING ON THE DOOR, THEY BROKE INTO HIS LAB AND THEY SAW HIM WITH A SLEDGE HAMMER SMASHING THE MACHINE. THE SWITCH GOT STUCK HE COULDN'T TURN IT OFF AND HE ALMOST BROUGHT DOWN SOME BUILDINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. >> IN 1934, TESLA CONCEIVED A DEATH RAY. HIS IDEA WAS TO BLAST CONCENTRATED BEAMS OF PARTICLES, CHARGED WITH MILLIONS OF VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY THROUGH THE AIR, WHICH COULD DOWN FLEETS OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT AT A DISTANCE OF 250 MILES. >> TESLA TERRIFIED PEOPLE WITH THIS IDEA OF THE DEATH RAY. I MEAN, EVEN THE NAME DEATH RAY, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S SCIENCE FICTION, RIGHT? >> TESLA SPENT HIS LATER YEARS IN TWO SMALL ROOMS IN THE NEW YORKER HOTEL. TODAY ROOM 3327, ONE OF HIS ROOMS, SHOWS THE CRAMPED SPACE HE OCCUPIED FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS OF HIS LIFE. >> TESLA DIED ALONE IN HIS ROOM AT THE HOTEL. THEY WEREN'T EVEN SURE EXACTLY WHEN HE DIED BECAUSE PEOPLE HADN'T SEEN HIM FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. A CHAMBERMAID FINALLY ENTERED HIS ROOM THE DAY AFTER HE DIED AND FOUND HIS BODY. >> BUT WHEN HIS DEATH AT AGE OF 86 WAS DISCOVERED, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TOOK CONTROL OF HIS SCIENTIFIC PAPERS. >> THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF CONCERN AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH AS TO WHAT WAS IN HIS PAPERS BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF WORLD WAR II AND THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF CONCERN, WHAT IF THE NAZIS GET HOLD OF THIS? >> THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS THAT AFTER INSPECTING TESLA'S PAPERS, THEY WERE RELEASED IN 1952 AND LATER SENT TO BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA WHERE THEY NOW REMAIN AT THE NIKOLA TESLA MUSEUM. HOWEVER, MANY BELIEVE SOME OF HIS PAPERS ARE STILL MISSING. >> WHO KNOWS WHAT WERE IN THESE PAPERS. YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY ARE VERY SENSITIVE. MAYBE THEY ARE THE PLANS FOR THE DEATH RAY. I GUESS THAT SHOULDN'T BE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. IT'S A TERRIFIC MYSTERY. WHO TOOK NIKOLA TESLA'S PAPERS. >> WE MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT ALL THESE PAPERS CONTAINED. WE DO KNOW, AS HIS WORK IS BEING RE-EVALUATED, THAT SOME OF HIS IDEAS WERE A CENTURY AHEAD OF HIS TIME. IN FACT, MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO, TESLA WAS ALREADY GREEN. [MUSIC] "MAD ELECTRICITY" WILL RETURN ON "MODERN MARVELS," HERE ON "HISTORY." WE NOW RETURN TO "MAD ELECTRICITY," ON "MODERN MARVELS." THE UNITED STATES CONSUMES 20 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL A DAY, AND GASOLINE PRICES CONSTANTLY REACH NEW HIGHS. A CENTURY AGO, TESLA SAW THE FUTURE OF FOSSIL FUELS. >> "IF WE USE FUEL "TO GET OUR POWER, "WE ARE LIVING ON OUR CAPITAL "AND EXHAUSTING IT RAPIDLY. "THIS METHOD IS BARBAROUS "AND WANTONLY WASTEFUL, 'AND WILL HAVE TO BE STOPPED "IN THE INTEREST OF COMING GENERATIONS." >> TESLA WAS DISTURBED BY THE RATE AT WHICH SOCIETY WAS BURNING UP NON-RENEWABLE FUELS: COAL; OIL WAS JUST COMING IN THEN, AND HE FORESAW A TIME THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO GO TO SOME OTHER SOURCE OF POWER. >> TESLA ANTICIPATED THE DEVELOPMENT OF WHAT WE NOW CALL RENEWABLE ENERGY. IN 1901, HE PATENTED AN APPARATUS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF RADIANT ENERGY. THE PATENT REFERS TO THE SUN, AS WELL AS OTHER SOURCES OF RADIANT ENERGY LIKE COSMIC RAYS. >> NIKOLA TESLA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO REALIZE THAT WE HAVE AN ALMOST ENDLESS SUPPLY OF ENERGY COMING IN FROM SPACE, FROM OUR OWN SUN. I BET HE WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT TODAY, ALL KINDS OF APPLICATIONS ARE RUNNING ON SOLAR POWER. >> TESLA ALSO CHAMPIONED GEOTHERMAL POWER. IN 1931, HE WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES ENTITLED, "OUR FUTURE MODE OF POWER," WHICH EXPLORED HOW TO UTILIZE THE EARTH'S NATURAL ENERGY. >> "ALL THAT IS NECESSARY "IS TO FIND AN ECONOMIC "AND SPEEDY WAY "OF SINKING DEEP SHAFTS "TO TAP INTO THIS ENORMOUS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY." >> ONE CUTTING EDGE CAR MAKER IS PAYING HOMAGE TO TESLA'S GREEN FORESIGHT BY ADOPTING HIS NAME. TESLA MOTORS IN SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA MAKES A BATTERY-DRIVEN TESLA ROADSTER THAT GOES FROM ZERO TO 60 MILES PER HOUR IN 3.9 SECONDS. USING A VERSION OF TESLA'S AC INDUCTION MOTOR, IT TRAVELS MORE THAN 200 MILES WITHOUT A DROP OF GAS. TESLA WAS ALSO A GREEN LIGHTING PIONEER. AT THE 1893 CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR, TESLA DISPLAYED A FLORESCENT BULB THAT BURNED MUCH COOLER AND LASTED LONGER THAN EDISON'S INCANDESCENT BULBS. A FORERUNNER OF TODAY'S LONGER LASTING EFFICIENT LIGHTING. >> THIS IS AN ACTUAL EDISON LIGHT BULB. THIS FILAMENT IS MADE OF CARBON, AND BY PASSING ELECTRICITY THROUGH IT, IT BECOMES HEATED AND THIS HEAT PRODUCES A WHITE LIGHT. MORE THAN HALF OF THE ENERGY THAT WENT INTO THIS LIGHT BULB PRODUCED HEAT INSTEAD OF LIGHT AND THAT MADE IT VERY INEFFICIENT. TESLA, AS A RESULT, DEVELOPED A LAMP ON A DIFFERENT PRINCIPLE THAT DIDN'T PRODUCE HEAT. IT PRODUCED LIGHT BY A GAS INSIDE OF A BULB. THE ELECTRICITY ENTERS THE BULB THROUGH THE ENDS AND THERE'S ELECTRODES INSIDE, AND AS IT ENTERS THE BULB THE GAS WOULD GET EXCITED AND IGNITE INSIDE, LIGHTING THE WHOLE SPACE WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE TUBE. THE RESULT WAS THE LIGHT WAS BRIGHTER, IT RAN COOLER, AND IT WAS MORE EFFICIENT THAN EDISON'S BULB. THE MODERN COMPACT FLORESCENT LIGHT OPERATES ON THE SAME PRINCIPLE. THERE'S GAS INSIDE THAT IS EXITED BY HIGH VOLTAGE. AND THIS IS TESLA'S PRINCIPLE STILL USED TODAY. >> WHICH OTHER OF TESLA'S IDEAS WERE TOO FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME? HISTORY MAY HAVE NEGLECTED THIS GENIUS, BUT TODAY HE IS BEING REDISCOVERED. >> I BELIEVE THAT SOME DAY WE WILL REINVESTIGATE TESLA'S WORK AND WE WILL DISCOVER THE SECRETS THAT HE WAS SO CONFIDENT IN. >> NIKOLA TESLA MADE THE MODERN WORLD WHAT IT IS TODAY AND ALTHOUGH IT TOOK MANY YEARS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO FINALLY REALIZE IT, I THINK, PERHAPS THAT IS CHANGING NOW. >> THE LEGACY OF TESLA IS REALLY THIS CREATIVE SPIRIT OF THE INVENTOR, TO HAVE NO BOUNDS ON THOUGHT. HE REALLY BELIEVED ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE. >> "LET THE FUTURE "TELL THE TRUTH "AND EVALUATE EACH ONE "ACCORDING TO THEIR WORK "AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. "THE PRESENT IS THEIRS. "THE FUTURE, "FOR WHICH I REALLY WORKED, IS MINE." NIKOLA TESLA
