Nikola Tesla was one of the 20th century's great pioneers; his role in advancing electrical energy through the use of alternating current, and his stupendous engineering finesse, make this biography by journalist John J. O'Neill a fine read. Born in a Serbian village to a religious family, Nikola demonstrated an early interest in physics. The nascent science behind electricity - in the 1870s a mysterious, unharnessed force - became his passion. Though the young man's engineering aspirations were almost derailed when he contracted cholera, and later by Austro-Hungarian conscription, Tesla managed to enrol to study in Graz, Austria. A top-class student, tutors admiration for Tesla's gifts and boundless curiosity was tempered by concerns over his tendency to overwork. These attributes marked Tesla's professional life; an obsessively driven man, Tesla's gifts for invention were amply demonstrated and rewarded in the United States. As his ambitions grew in size and scope, Tesla was hailed as a visionary.

Prodigal Genius: The Biography of Nikola Tesla; His Life, Legacy and Journals (Hardcover)

Biographies & Memoirs

O'Neill, John J.

Professionals & Academics

lulu.com

Nikola Tesla was one of the 20th century's great pioneers; his role in advancing electrical energy through the use of alternating current, and his stupendous engineering finesse, make this biography by journalist John J. O'Neill a fine read.Born in a Serbian village to a religious family, Nikola demonstrated an early interest in physics. The nascent science behind electricity - in the 1870s a mysterious, unharnessed force - became his passion. Though the young man's engineering aspirations were almost derailed when he contracted cholera, and later by Austro-Hungarian conscription, Tesla managed to enrol to study in Graz, Austria. A top-class student, tutors admiration for Tesla's gifts and boundless curiosity was tempered by concerns over his tendency to overwork.These attributes marked Tesla's professional life; an obsessively driven man, Tesla's gifts for invention were amply demonstrated and rewarded in the United States. As his ambitions grew in size and scope, Tesla was hailed as a visionary.

Prodigal Genius: The Biography of Nikola Tesla; His Life, Legacy and Journals

This was the first full-length biography written on the genius inventor, Nikola Tesla. The author was a Pulitzer Prize-winner and personal friend of Tesla, who once said the author understood him better than any man alive. It is reflected well in this highly detailed work. Much of the information in this book was personal and important, but might otherwise not have been known had O'Neill not documented it. The immense genius of Tesla resulted from a mind that could see an invention in 3-D, from every angle, within his mind before it was easily built. His dimensions and part sizes were always perfect. He never tested parts; they always worked. Most of his inventions were electrical in nature, with dozens of his patents now being used around the world. Much is revealed on Tesla's eccentric personality, his competition with Thomas Edison, and how he made his first million before the age of forty. Money was not important to him, however, nor was The Nobel Prize, which he refused to accept. It was always the science that came first. Due to the author's friendship with him, we are allowed an up close and intimate view into the mind of this genius inventor.

Prodigal Genius the Life of Nikola Tesla

David McKay Co.

One of the most enduring problems of history is the decline of Classical Civilization. How was it that the civilization of Greece and Rome, which had endured almost a thousand years, a civilization which prized learning, science and reason, gave way to the world of the Medieval; an age which saw, for a while, the almost complete disappearance of the rationalist spirit of Greece and Rome? The traditional view was that after their seizure of Italy in the fifth century, the Barbarian tribes of Germany and Scythia had reduced Europe to an economic and cultural wasteland, initiating a Dark Age, which was to last half a millennium. After the Reformation, another suspect was added to the list: Christianity, or, more accurately, Catholic Christianity. In this view Christianity was corrupted beyond recognition after the time of Constantine and from the fourth century onwards a power-hungry Church hierarchy, in cahoots with the Imperial authorities, kept the population of Europe in subservience and ignorance, effectively completing the destructive work of the Barbarians. In this ground-breaking work, historian John J. O'Neill examines a great variety of evidence from many specialties and reaches an astonishing and novel conclusion: Classical Civilization was not destroyed by Barbarians or by Christians. It survived intact into the early seventh century. The Vandals and Goths who seized the Western Empire in the fifth century had become completely romanized by the start of the sixth century. Artistic and intellectual life flourished, as did the economy and the cities built earlier under the Empire. Yet sometime in the middle of the seventh century everything changed. Cities were abandoned, literacy plummeted, royal authority declined and local strongmen, or "barons", seized control of the provinces. The Middle Ages had begun. Who or what had caused this? As O'Neill notes, by the 1920s Belgian historian Henri Pirenne had located the proverbial "smoking gun"; but it was not in the hands of the Barbarians or the Christians: it was held by those who, even then, it had become fashionable to credit with saving, rather than destroying, Classical Civilization: the Arabs. In a conclusion that will have resonance for the modern world, O'Neill argues convincingly that all we regard as "Medieval" had its origin in Islam, and that the Muslims terminated Classical Civilization in Europe just as surely as they did in the Middle East. O'Neill shows how the sudden relapse of Europe in the seventh century was due entirely to the economic blockade imposed by Islam's war against Christendom. The Mediterranean, which had previously been a cultural highway, now became a frontier, and a very dangerous frontier at it. Prompted by Islam's doctrine of perpetual war against nonbelievers, Muslim pirates scoured the Mediterranean, effectively ending all trade between Europe and the great centers of civilization in the Near East. The flow of gold ended, as did the supply of all luxury items. And so too did the supply of papyrus from Egypt, without which Europeans were forced to rely on expensive parchment. Not surprisingly, literacy plummeted. Worst of all, the great cities of the West, which depended upon the trade in luxury items from the East, began to decline. As the dominant power of the time, ideas originating in the Islamic world now began to penetrate Europe. From their Muslim foes Christian Europeans began to think in terms that would have been unimaginable a century earlier. The idea of "Holy War" entered the mindset of Christians, and, under the influence of Islam, the rationalism of Greece and Rome began to be replaced by a literal and intolerant interpretation of "The Book." Classical civilization was dead.

Holy Warriors: Islam and the Demise of Classical Civilization

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Felibri.com

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Nikola Tesla: Incredible Scientist and Prodigal Genius the Life of Nikola Tesla

Colladay, Morrison

Arts & Literature

Kessinger Publishing

Literary Licensing, LLC

Before the turn of the 20th century, electricity remained a mere scientific curiosity. Nikola Tesla, arguably more than anyone else, changed that. But Tesla’s pioneering research in electricity represents only a portion of the scientific and technical innovations that elevated him to science godhood. Prodigal Genius, The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla covers, among other topics, the story of Tesla’s inspiration for his career in engineering, shows his theories of electricity that went against the scientific establishment, explores his friendships, investigates the story of the lost Nobel Prize, and, dig into Tesla’s own views of the paranormal. Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author John J. O’Neill, Prodigal Genius, The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla details the life of one the greatest geniuses of our time.

Prodigal Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla

Dead Authors Society

Before the turn of the 20th century, electricity remained a mere scientific curiosity. Nikola Tesla, arguably more than anyone else, changed that. But Tesla's pioneering research in electricity represents only a portion of the scientific and technical innovations that elevated him to science godhood. Prodigal Genius, The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla covers, among other topics, the story of Tesla's inspiration for his career in engineering, shows his theories of electricity that went against the scientific establishment, explores his friendships, investigates the story of the lost Nobel Prize, and, dig into Tesla's own views of the paranormal. Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author John J. O'Neill, Prodigal Genius, The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla details the life of one the greatest geniuses of our time.

Discovery Publisher

El Genio Pródigo: La Extraordinaria Vida de Nikola Tesla (Spanish Edition)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O'Neill, John J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by O'Neill, John J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O'Neill, John J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Prodigal Genius: The Biography of Nikola Tesla; His Life, Legacy and Journals (Hardcover)

Prodigal Genius: The Biography of Nikola Tesla; His Life, Legacy and Journals

Prodigal Genius the Life of Nikola Tesla

Holy Warriors: Islam and the Demise of Classical Civilization

Nikola Tesla: Incredible Scientist and Prodigal Genius the Life of Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla: Incredible Scientist and Prodigal Genius the Life of Nikola Tesla

Prodigal Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla

Prodigal Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

El Genio Pródigo: La Extraordinaria Vida de Nikola Tesla (Spanish Edition)