Nikola Tesla is the type of man who hangs out in the margins of history, half-remembered, his name known but his meaning not. If someone were to ask, they might say, "Oh, he's the guy with electricity," or, "Didn't he work with Edison?" That's where the knowledge typically ends.
And still, Tesla's reach extends far beyond what most realize. He didn't merely build on past ideas—he saw the world differently, envisioned futures that others considered fantasy, and devoted his life to pursuing the future.
Tesla was born in 1856 in what is now Croatia, at a time when science and superstition still lived uneasily together. His mother, although not formally educated, was an inventor herself, creating tools for the house and memorizing epic poetry.