The Year in a Writer’s Life – 2019

David with Hemingway in CubaWhat a year in a writer’s life. I was incredibly busy this year even though I finished no new books. As I look back on what I wrote for 2018, I realize that 2019 was also transitional. Whether that can be considered good or not is debatable.

This was the second year in a row with nothing new in the bookstores. I’ve been writing, and writing a lot, but too often spread out on several new ideas along with the current work(s) in progress. That’s great for creativity, not so great for finishing any individual project. More on that shortly.

My three previously published books (not counting the two e-books) hit a wall in 2019, in part due to a private equity firm buying out Barnes and Noble stores and taking them private. Like many brick-and-mortar stores, B&N has been struggling to compete against online booksellers and secondary sellers via the likes of Amazon and eBay. No longer publicly traded, the new CEO of B&N is rethinking how their stores work. They probably will close some locations and retool others, much like the new CEO did when he took over the British bookseller Waterstones. So why does this affect me? Mainly because my publisher is affiliated with B&N and has effectively been put on hold while B&N figures out its future. The stock of my books is essentially frozen: no new printings, limited numbers of books in stores and in the warehouse, and stiff competition from those secondary sellers (for which I receive zero benefit). I did sell some additional foreign rights, but at this point I need new books on the market to maintain even a semblance of royalties.

My writing life was busy in other respects. I was the keynote speaker at the annual Lincoln-Thomas Day commemoration at Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C. in September. I co-instructed a “Lincoln’s Campaign for the Nomination, 1859-60” at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. And I attended the LEAD: Spirit of Lincoln Youth Academy in Illinois. The LEAD group has given all of the students in the program a copy of my book for the last two years; this year they asked me to come out and speak to them directly.

I also was interviewed and/or mentioned in a variety of outlets in 2019. One 8th grader interviewed me on Lincoln and Emancipation (this was my fourth such interview by students, the first three about Tesla). I was also interviewed on Facebook Live by filmmaker Annabel Park, mentioned in online and print articles, and even made the acknowledgements of a prominent scientist’s book.

While no books made it out the door, my writing appeared in print. Two book reviews were published in Civil War Times magazine. Eight book reviews were published in The Lincolnian. I also entered three writing contests (two didn’t win and one is still in review).

So what is the plan for 2020?

Over the last few months I’ve refocused my writing with the goal of finishing my long-researched new Lincoln book. That is my main objective in 2020, but it isn’t my only one. I’m also now in the initial planning stages of a collaborative travel perspective book that should be fleshed out in the coming month. I have several other books I had been working on piecemeal; the goal is to keep one of them moving while likely punting on the others until 2021.

In addition I will be putting more emphasis on magazine publishing in 2020. I plan to do more book reviews for Civil War Times, the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, and the Lincoln Herald. I’ll also be pitching longer format articles for these journals and, for other magazines, non-Lincoln topics. The goal is to pitch two ideas a month while also entering one writing contest per month.

My speaking schedule increased in 2019 and will increase more in 2020 (and even more in 2021 when I expect to be doing a book tour). When I’m not writing or preparing talks I’ll continue with my 75 books per year reading schedule. If I can squeeze it in, I’ll also get back to developing my photography skills.

All this means is 1) 2020 will be a busy year, and 2) I’ll have to be more efficient than I was in 2019. One thing is certain: I love this writing life.

Happy New Year to all!

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Nikola Tesla’s Views on Marriage and Celibacy

Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla spend much time learning to exert self-control over his will. Once an addicted gambler, he worked hard to rid himself of that destructive desire. Not leaving a trace of desire apparently extended to his views on marriage and celibacy.

The late William H. Terbo (the son of Tesla’s sister’s son) once suggested that “womanizing” may have contributed in part to Tesla never completing his studies in Graz. Yet despite the opinion of a professional palmist, who opined that Tesla’s hand revealed “a flirtatious streak,” Tesla purposefully chose celibacy throughout his life. This did not stop the media of the time (even the technical journals) from urging him to get married—after all, “important people were expected to procreate for the good of the country.” As young science writer and close friend Kenneth Swezey later put it, “Tesla’s only marriage has been to his work and to the world…he believes…that the most enduring works of achievement have come from childless men…” Swezey described Tesla as “an absolute celibate.” Tesla himself claimed that to be a great inventor one must not allow himself to be distracted by love. When asked if he believed in marriage he replied that:

“for an artist, yes; for a musician, yes; for a writer, yes; but for an inventor, no. The first three must gain inspiration from a woman’s influence and be led by their love to finer achievement, but an inventor has so intense a nature with so much in it of wild, passionate quality, that in giving himself to a woman he might love, he would give everything, and so take everything from his chosen field. I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men.”

While rumors abounded over Tesla’s relationship with Katharine Johnson, wife of The Century editor (and Sierra Club co-founder) Robert Underwood Johnson, he never did marry, hence why his grandnephew William Terbo was so active in keeping Tesla’s name alive.

[Adapted from my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Tesla Book Makes #1 on Illuminating Biographies of Notable Figures

Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has made #1 in the list of 13 Illuminating Biographies of Notable Figures created by Ezvid Wiki.

Click here to watch the short video

Tesla Ezvid

Founded in 2011, Ezvid Wiki was the world’s first video wiki, and is now among the top 3,000 websites in the United States. Their YouTube channel has over 425,000 subscribers, 250 million views since founding, and they have informed over $200 million in purchasing decisions to date. They write:

In the #1 spot we have David J. Kent’s “Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity,” which tells the extraordinary tale of Nikola Tesla, the Croatian* genius who invented alternating current, wireless transmission, and the radio. During his nomadic life, Tesla encountered historical figures including Thomas Edison and Mark Twain, all while dealing with the many compulsions of his eccentric nature. Kent explores Tesla’s decidedly unusual career and his many contributions to modern science, which have fundamentally shaped the modern world.

*Note that Tesla was actually of Serbian heritage. The people who made the video and the text above copied from it likely conflated his place of birth (in an area that is now part of present-day Croatia) with his heritage.

This is just one of many acknowledgements of the book in the online and print press. Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has seen eight printings and several foreign translations (so far) and been read in many countries around the world. I’ve been lucky enough to advise the off-Broadway play TESLA and meet Tesla royalty in Serbia and the book has received widespread accolades.

Want to know more about Nikola Tesla? Click here for previous posts about Tesla and his work.

Take a look at the Ezvid Wiki video and check out all 13 Illuminating Biographies.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

Tesla and Edison: From Paris to America

tesla vs edisonIn 1882, Nikola Tesla’s time in Budapest was coming to an end. His close relationship with the Puskas brothers led him to Charles Batchelor, who was Thomas Edison’s man in Paris. Batchelor was an Englishman and mechanic supreme, having learned his trade in the textile mills of Manchester. But Batchelor was more than just a good technician; he was a natural salesman and organizer. Nearly single-handedly he had overseen the spread of Edison’s direct current system across Europe, mostly as isolated power plants for individual factories, hotels, shipyards, and railroad stations. This highlighted the big problem with direct current—it was limited to low voltages and could not be transmitted more than a short distance. Direct current power plants had to be installed every mile or so to light up a city, a logistical problem that meant despite his sales skills Batchelor was only able to install three central power stations, one each in the cities of Milan, Rotterdam, and St. Petersburg.

Tesla knew he had the answer to this problem—the alternating current induction motor. But newly arrived in Paris and taking a job as a junior engineer at Société Industrielle, part of the Compagnie Continental Edison, Tesla was hardly yet in a position to change the world. While he pitched his alternating current system to Batchelor and others in Paris, Edison’s people simply did not want to listen. After all, Edison had invested himself completely in making and selling direct current throughout Europe, the United States, and the world. No, Edison thought, Tesla’s alternating current system simply would not do.

Tesla’s time at Continental Edison was initially spent as a kind of traveling repairman sent to fix some of the tougher problems with the direct current system. Moving about mainly in France and Germany, he would “cure the ills” and return to Paris. This experience led him to propose improvements to the dynamos, which he implemented. “My success was complete,” Tesla would write, “and the delighted directors accorded me the privilege of developing automatic regulators which were much desired.” Having quickly built a reputation as someone who could save the day, not to mention his proficiency in the German language, Tesla was the obvious choice to send to Strasbourg, Alsace (part of Germany at the time, now Strasbourg, France). A catastrophic event had occurred during the opening ceremony of the new lighting plant at the railroad station, and help was needed fast.

The Strasbourg rail station, originally built in 1846, had just been remodeled in the current year of 1883. Dignitaries, including the aging Emperor William I of Germany, were gathered to watch the newly installed direct current electric lighting system showcase the station. The flip of the switch turned out to be more dramatic than expected, however, and a large part of a wall collapsed by a huge explosion, nearly taking William with it. Following this major malfunction and a series of other quality-control issues—lightbulbs were burning out as fast as they could be replaced—the talented Tesla was dispatched to see what he could do to repair the damage, both to the direct current system and the sensitivities of the Alsace people.

Upon arrival he realized that this was not merely a case of crossed wires; there were fundamental flaws in the direct current system design. Batchelor had been warning Edison that generators coming to Europe from America were defective—“fires from faulty armatures and poor insulation were becoming all too common.” According to Tesla, the wiring was defective and the explosion that took down the wall resulted from a massive short circuit. Tesla took on the task of correcting the problem and spent nearly a year redesigning the generators and reinstalling the lighting system. His work was a stunning success.

With the Strasbourg rail station now fully lit and accepted by the Alsace government, Tesla “returned to Paris with pleasing anticipations.” Administrators at Edison’s European works had promised Tesla “a liberal compensation” should he succeed in fixing the Strasbourg problem, “as well as fair consideration of the improvements [Tesla] had made in their dynamos.” He, perhaps naively, hoped to “realize a substantial sum.” That sum was never to be realized.

The Edison men passed around non-decisions until Tesla finally recognized that his promised compensation was more rhetorical than realistic. While hugely disillusioned by how he had been treated, Tesla was simultaneously being pressed by Charles Batchelor to move to America, ostensibly to redesign and improve on the Edison dynamos and motors. Seeing an opportunity to present his alternating current designs directly to the great Thomas Edison himself, Tesla put aside his disappointment and agreed to make the cross-Atlantic voyage to the “land of the golden promise.”

Though its actual existence is disputed, O’Neill states that Batchelor penned a letter of introduction to Thomas Edison in which he stated simply: “I know two great men and you are one of them; the other is this young man.”

Tesla was off to America. But things were not to go exactly as planned.

In 1884 Edison had installed a complete direct current system on the S.S. Oregon, one of the most modern ships of the time. On the Oregon Edison would first put new employee Nikola Tesla to the test. Both of the twin dynamos had failed, so the ship was sitting in port with no way to run. Edison had sent several men to try to fix it, but with no luck. He was desperate, so when Tesla walked into his office Edison sent him straight to the docks. Tesla was eager to please Edison, so he packed up the necessary tools and arrived on board that evening. “The dynamos were in bad condition,” Tesla later wrote, “with several short circuits and breaks.” Seizing the initiative, Tesla put the ship’s crew to work helping him, and by daybreak he had “succeeded in putting them in good shape.” Another major success.

This incident raised Tesla’s stock in Edison’s eyes and henceforth Tesla “had full freedom in directing the work.” The work was interesting and Tesla was happy. Always the hard worker, for nearly a year Tesla regularly worked from 10:30 a.m. to five o’clock the next morning, seven days a week. Edison was duly impressed, saying, “I have had many hard-working assistants but you take the cake.” Tesla occasionally dined with Edison and other key leaders in Edison’s various companies. Sometimes they would shoot billiards, where Tesla “would impress the fellows with his bank shots and vision of the future.”

Seeing opportunities to improve Edison’s dynamos, Tesla outlined a plan, stressing the output and cost efficiency of his intended changes. Edison, perhaps in a temporarily charitable moment, promised Tesla $50,000 if he could accomplish the task. Tesla immediately set to work and over the next year he designed twenty-four different types of dynamos, “eliminating the long-core field magnets then in use and substituting the more efficient short cores” as well as introducing some automatic controls. The financial benefits to the Edison operations were enormous, but when Tesla demanded payment, Edison’s response was to laugh and say, “You are still a Parisian. When you become a full-fledged American, you will appreciate an American joke.”

Tesla, feeling “a painful shock” at what he felt was being cheated once again by Edison, immediately resigned. Tesla would set out on his own, and in the end, have the last laugh on Edison.

[Adapted from my two books, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, both available at Barnes and Noble stores nationwide.]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Surprise Endorsements on the Internet

As an author, every once in a while I find a pleasant surprise on the amorphous conglomerate known as the world wide web, aka “the net,” “the internet,” or if you’re a fan of G.W. Bush, “the internets.” I recently came across a few endorsements of my books in unexpected places.

The first is from the Czech Republic. Yes, you read that correctly. My Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity book, in addition to its eight printings in the US, has been translated into at least four foreign languages, including Czech. Which led me to this:

I have no idea what she’s saying, but from the expression on her face and body language I assume it is good.

Also popping up in my feed one day was a review of the Tesla book by the Red Dirt Report, an Oklahoma-based independent news blog. The review is demonstrably positive and notes that the book is:

Simple and easy to read, the book Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity by David J. Kent is great for one who doesn’t know the story of the mythic scientist…

 

Meanwhile, my Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time e-book was cited inTesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time an article published in Big Think, an online science and Technology publication. Article author Paul Ratner notes:

As historian David J. Kent writes, to tap into the kinetic energy generated by the rushing Niagara, some of the water going over the Falls was sent through a long tunnel where it turned a series of turbines, which converted energy into mechanical energy that created electricity.

Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America

 

My newest book, Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, has been in the news as well. Still available in Barnes and Noble stores nationwide and as a Nook and Kindle e-book, it turns out it’s also available as a Kobo e-book.

My Lincoln book was also mentioned in an article published in the Chicago Tribune called “Who needs another Lincoln biography? We do – and here’s why.” I get mentioned along with works by Sidney Blumenthal (yes, that Sidney Blumenthal, whom I talked to again at the recent ALI symposium), Fred Kaplan, and Richard Kigel.

It doesn’t stop there. Lincoln has been nominated for two prestigious book awards, been featured on three episodes of the Railsplitter podcast, been reviewed in Civil War Times, and been chosen to support the LEAD Spirit of Lincoln Youth Leadership Academy for 2018. In fact, I’ve just learned that Lincoln has once again been chosen for the 2019 LEAD program. I may even be able to join them during my Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour, Part 3.

I’ll end by asking a favor. If you come across any mentions of me or my books in any kind of media, please drop me a line and let me know. I very much appreciate it!

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Nikola Tesla and the Flying Machines

Like da Vinci, Nikola Tesla had visions of creating flying machines. Since the Wright brothers had made the first practical, powered heavier-than-air flight in 1903, the development of airplane technology had proceeded rapidly. Fixed-wing aircraft, mainly biplanes, were widely used in World War I by both sides of the conflict. Never satisfied with standard airplanes, Tesla put his efforts into inventing a completely “new type of flying machine,” which he called a “helicopter-plane.” A precursor to what we today call a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The invention consists of a new type of flying machine, designated “helicopter-plane”, which may be raised and lowered vertically and driven horizontally by the same propelling devices and comprises: a prime mover of improved design and an airscrew, both especially adapted for the purpose, means for tilting the machine in the air, arrangements for controlling its operation in any position, a novel landing gear and other constructive details, all of which will be hereinafter fully described.

 

 

The plane would look and act like no other plane. After rising from the ground vertically, the pilot would tilt the plane forward while his seat tilted to maintain an upright position and the wings repositioned horizontally. Besides the unique system for both vertical and horizontal propulsion, the helicopter-plane was also one of the first attempts to use turbine engines in rotor aircraft. Tesla may have been thinking of this technology for even more broadly useful purposes; he may have traveled to Detroit to market his design as a “flying automobile.”

Unfortunately, the aircraft idea was not further developed and became, in 1928 when he was seventy-two years of age, the last patent Tesla would receive.

[Adapted from my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Nikola Tesla Has Died, January 7,1943

Nikola Tesla portraitDuring his illustrious scientific career, Nikola Tesla developed many inventions that changed the world, including his unique design for a rotating magnetic field motor that enabled the use of alternating current on a commercial basis, wireless communication across vast distances, and even early “shadowgraphs,” precursors to X-rays. He also made forays into areas that, while he did not succeed in commercializing, set the stage for future developments, including wireless remote control of boats and other devices (robotics). Tesla did make some grandiose claims that did not come to fruition, the biggest of which included the wireless transmission of power through the Earth, plus a directed energy weapon. He also claimed to have communicated with intelligent beings from the planet Venus or Mars.

Tesla died peacefully during the night of January 7, 1943 in Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel in New York City, where he had lived in poverty the last ten years of his life. “The superman died as he had lived—alone,” his first biographer John O’Neill wrote shortly after Tesla’s passing. The local coroner declared his death to be from “natural causes incident to senility.”

At nearly eighty-seven years old this would normally be the end of the story, but this was 1943 and the United States was in the midst of World War II. Everyone was suspicious of everyone and fears of spies infiltrating the populace were routine. O’Neill perhaps planted the initial seed for conspiracies to grow when he wrote “operatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation came and opened the safe in his room and took the papers it contained, to examine them for a reported important secret invention of possible use in the war.”

The stage was set for a series of mystery plays that continue to the present day.

[Adapted from my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. Chapter 8 looks at conspiracy theories following his death.]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

The Year in a Writer’s Life – 2018

David J Kent, WriterThe year 2018 in a writer’s life was good. Well, kind of up and down, really. Okay, let’s just call it a year of transition. And that is actually a good thing.

This year was the first in which I published exactly zero new books since I started my writing career. My Tesla book came out in 2013; two e-books on Tesla and Tesla/Lincoln were released in 2014 and 2015, respectively; 2016 saw Edison; and 2017 was the year of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. No new books doesn’t mean inactivity. New printings for Tesla and Lincoln were put into Barnes and Noble stores in 2018, and the rights for foreign editions padded my semiannual royalty checks.

I had planned for 2018 to be the year I started writing more for magazines and other freelance outlets, but my busy travel schedule and other distractions kept me from making much effort in that regard. I also didn’t follow through on my goal to enter writing competitions. For the same reasons, fewer blog posts here on Science Traveler and Hot White Snow passed through my typing fingers, and The Dake Page has been grossly neglected. I’ll spend more time on them in 2019.

But the really good news is that my work was wonderfully recognized on several fronts. In addition to the 8th printing of Tesla and 2nd printing of Lincoln, my Lincoln book received quite a few accolades. In 2018 it received its second nomination for book awards, was overwhelmingly selected as the very first book for the new Railsplitter podcast book club (3 podcasts and on-air interview), was chosen as a resource for the Illinois LEAD: Spirit of Lincoln Youth Academy Program, and received a published review in Civil War Times magazine. The book even got mentioned in a Chicago Tribune article on Lincoln scholarship.

The Railsplitter podcast wasn’t my only interview. I had the privilege of being interviewed on Facebook Live by Coffee Party founder and influential filmmaker Annabel Park. The interview, co-hosted with fellow scientist Bob Scheuplein, garnered over 11,000 views. Annabel recently suggested another interview on the topic of leadership, which will likely happen early in the new year. Also coming up in January will be an on-air interview about Nikola Tesla with the Voice of America. I also did a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” program this past January that was highly successful, plus was featured on C-SPAN for a presentation I gave at the Lincoln Group of DC.

While no new books came out in 2018, I do have several books in the works. I made progress on my new Lincoln book and hope to get it to a publisher this year. I also began the process for a book that I will edit, with chapters by various Lincoln scholars. I’m about halfway through a draft of a travel memoir. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, in December I wrote the first draft of a short story I’ll enter into a writing competition in January, as well as started writing a historical science fiction novel, my first real long-form fiction attempt.

So 2018 was a very good year even though I didn’t have any new books come out. The ones I’m working on now will be different from my earlier books, which were heavy on graphics and targeted a general reading public. My next Lincoln book(s) is more deeply scholarly on a specific subject, and the other books take inspiration from Bill Bryson and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

My goals for 2019 include following through on more magazine and competition writing. I’m off to a good start as I’ve already submitted a short piece that should be published in Civil War Times soon and the first contest submission date I’m shooting for is mid-January. I’ll focus on getting the Lincoln book out the door, with the others being squeezed into “free” time for future release. Meanwhile, I’ll continue traveling (I already have trips booked to Costa Rica and Cuba) and make more of an effort to write travel-related magazine articles. I’ll also continue to be highly active in the Lincoln Group of DC. More on those topics in later posts.

Several unexpected deaths of colleagues, relatives, and friends this year reinforced the idea that our lives are fleeting and we must make every effort to enjoy the time we have on this earth. So from me to you, set your goals high, live life, and love all.

Happy New Year! May 2019 exceed your greatest imagination!

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

Nikola Tesla and the Invention of Bladeless Turbines

Tesla Pot Belly cropWhen he was not taking on Einstein, Nikola Tesla was thinking about some of the fundamental “truths” of science. In one case he disagreed with the idea that turbines needed to have blades like a propeller to catch the air or water as they moved in a particular direction. Tesla had experimented with what would come to be called the bladeless turbine as far back as his youth when he played with waterwheels of his own invention. His updated version of a bladeless turbine could be used, Tesla mused, to power “automobiles, locomotives and steamships,” not to mention airplanes and ocean liners, all new creations of the modern world of the early twentieth century.

Tesla Bladeless TurbineTesla had begun working on bladeless turbines when he was consulting with the Westinghouse Company in Pittsburgh, but this project, like so many others, was put on hold while he toiled on his alternating current designs of high potential and high frequency. But in 1906 he gave himself a fiftieth birthday present by demonstrating his bladeless turbine in public. The basic design of the turbine relies on the principle of boundary layer flow, that is, where the movement of the liquid or gas passes over a series of smooth disks. Some of the liquid or gas adheres to the disks, which creates a vortex that spirals toward the center and spins the turbine. Tesla described it in an interview with the New York Herald in 1911:

“Now, suppose we make this metal plate that I have spoken of circular in shape and mount it at its centre on a shaft so that it can be revolved. Apply power to rotate the shaft and what happens? Why, whatever fluid the disk happens to be revolving in is agitated and dragged along in the direction of rotation, because the fluid tends to adhere to the disk and the viscosity causes the motion given to the adhering particles of the fluid to be transmitted to the whole mass.”

This resulted in very large power output for a very small size and weight. Because no projecting blades were needed, the turbine could withstand much greater pressures.

But that wasn’t the only unusual device he mentioned. More on that in the book.

[Adapted from Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, now into its 8th printing and translated into multiple languages.]

David J. Kent is the author Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World, plus two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His latest book is Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. 

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

Nikola Tesla Harnesses the Radiant Energy of Cosmic Rays

Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its TimeThe idea of harnessing cosmic rays came to Tesla when he was working on early developments in radioactivity, something he was doing prior to Roentgen, who later was credited with the discovery of X-rays. Tesla found that the sun was emitting a “peculiar radiation of great energy,” which he later determined to be cosmic rays. While others focused on cosmic rays from far off stars, Tesla noted that this was far outshined by cosmic energy coming from our own sun. He believed that the sun emits “a ray marvelous in the inconceivable minuteness of its particles and transcending speed of their motion, vastly exceeding that of light.” This ray, “by impinging against the cosmic dust generates a secondary radiation.” The energy was “relatively feeble but fairly penetrative.”

Could this cosmic, or radiant, energy be harnessed? Some thought so. In 1901, Tesla patented an “Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy.” The apparatus consisted of an antenna stuck high into the air and wired to one side of a capacitor and to an earth ground. The difference in potential would charge the capacitor, the oscillating output of which could be controlled with a switching device. Since energy comes from both the sun and “other sources of radiant energy, like cosmic rays,” the device would work both day and night.

Alas, while Tesla did claim to have harnessed cosmic rays, he lamented that, again, technological capabilities were not yet advanced enough to efficiently capture the cosmic force and use it as a reliable source of energy.

On the eve of his 76th birthday Tesla still hoped to build a large scale version of this “motive device.” Being able to do so would “eliminate the need of coal, oil, gas” as energy sources. Unfortunately for all of us, he recognized that circumstances were not favorable at the time. Today, engineers are still trying to figure out how to harness radiant energy.

[The above is extracted from my e-book, Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time, downloadable on Amazon]

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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