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From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Tesla
Message-ID: <438@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Mar-85 17:45:05 EST
Article-I.D.: cadovax.438
Posted: Wed Mar  6 17:45:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 05:31:42 EST
References: <131@azure.UUCP>, <2436@nsc.UUCP>
Organization: Contel Cado, Torrance, CA
Lines: 57

[........]
>Don't forget the invention of radio!  Books don't always show it, but
>Tesla won (after he already died) the first patent for a wireless
>communication device in a Supreme court case.  (or so the story goes
>does anyone know more about this legal case?)

I do know that the court case did decide that Tesla, and not Marconi
is now credited with the first invention of radio.  Teslas knowledge
of resonance has not been equaled since.

>Tesla loved to make strange toys however.  In about 1890(?) he built a
>radio controlled mini-sub (about 2 feet long) and had it spin around
>New York Harbor.  Lots of folks freaked out when they saw the metal
>"monster".  

Unfortunately, much of the response was of the sort 'OBOY, we can
put a BOMB in it and BLOW ships up!'.  I think Tesla was a little
disappointed that this was perceived as the most significant aspect
of this type of technology.

Another one of his strange toys was a compressed air operated 'tapping' or
vibrating device which he demonstrated could be used to build up a
resonant wave in buildings to the point that they could be demolished.
During one of his experiments with this device on a piling in the
basement of one building the surrounding buildings began to build
up waves first, before Tesla realized he was having any effect
as the building he was in had not started to react yet.  He was 
quite surprised when some of the local gendarmes burst in just
as the building he was in did start to react, as he had just noticed
these effects himself moments ago.

We can credit Tesla with AT LEAST the following inventions:

    1. A.C. motors, generators, transmission systems
    2. Radio transmission
    3. Fluorescent Lighting and the Neon Sign
    4. First radio controlled devices

And perhaps he should be credited with others, such as possibly 
the discovery of X-Rays (not by that name however) , or perhaps
the artificial generation of X-Rays.  And, I'm sure there are
others.

 >			...I have always wondered what he may have
 >written down (diagrams, or messages, or ?).  Since he no doubt
 >knew of their presence, I bet he pulled some good tricks on them.

Some of his writings are quite readable.  He published several articles
in Electrical Experimenter in the 1910-1920 era, in a column called
'My Inventions'.

BY the way, there is a unit of measurment called the 'Tesla' but I forgot
for the moment what it's for.  Anyone remember?

Keith Doyle
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