Thomas Edison And Nikola Tesla's They Made America

It is difficult to imagine a world where certain groundbreaking inventions such as the light bulb, electrical currents, the computer, or the automobile were never created or pursued. Without the inventions that built our world, I would not be able to type this argument in my well-lit, heated bedroom on my personal laptop computer using my wireless internet connection. In The Atlantic’s article, “They Made America,” many inventors and innovators were included in the list of the top 100 people who influenced the United States. The list included Benjamin Franklin [6], Henry Ford [14], Alexander Graham Bell [24], Eli Whitney [27], and Thomas Edison [9], but one crucial figure was left in the dust: Nikola Tesla (Appleby et al.). The Croatian-born inventor, engineer, and physicist made noteworthy contributions in revolutionizing the electrical industry and should be seated at number ten next to his successful opponent, Thomas Edison (Vujovic). Tesla’s supposed rival, Thomas Edison, was born in Ohio in 1847, and he spent his childhood reading and teaching himself to become a proficient telegraph operator and scientist. He dedicated his adulthood to improving already-made products and producing his own creations (National Park Service). Although Thomas Edison had
He was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in an area now known as Croatia, in 1856, merely nine years after Edison was born. Tesla also grew up with a dream of working with electricity, and he started his career by working for Edison himself. He eventually branched off to create a rival business, working against Edison with his own designs. A few of his patented inventions include the basic design for a radio transmitter, wireless telegraphy, the Tesla coil, the remote control, and alternating current (Vujovic). These patents alone should qualify Tesla for a reasonable spot on The Atlantic’s top