Nikola Tesla is widely recognized as perhaps the greatest, most original, humblest, and most health-challenged of all geniuses. Born on July 10, 1856, in the village of Smiljan in Lika (today’s Croatia), he was raised in an Orthodox Christian family, the son of the reverend Milutin Tesla and his wife, Georgina Mandić. The talent that Tesla inherited from his parents, who themselves exhibited remarkable natural abilities, he continued to expand and refine throughout his life.
Tesla’s father, Reverend Milutin Tesla, was deeply respected and loved within the community. A man of high education, he was an eloquent writer, an extraordinary speaker, and the owner of an impressive personal library. He raised his son according to traditional methods of learning—quizzing him daily on mathematical exercises, literary passages, or challenging him to find flaws in sentences spoken by others. Through this rigorous approach, Tesla’s intellectual curiosity and analytical skills were sharpened from a young age.
In describing his wife Georgina, Reverend Milutin wrote:
„She possessed a profound investigative mind. Together, we devised several practical tools for household and outdoor use, which greatly eased our work. Artistically gifted, she crafted all types of handmade creations and produced original designs in embroidery and weaving that became renowned in the entire region. Her intelligence was exceptional, and she had an extraordinary memory, knowing The Mountain Wreath by Njegoš almost by heart, along with a vast collection of other poems.“
Tesla’s uncle was also a distinguished mathematician who, as a professor at the Military Academy, authored a well-known mathematics textbook. In such an environment of learning and innovation, Nikola Tesla grew and thrived.
Tesla’s talent for mechanics became evident even in primary school in Gospić. During a public demonstration involving a firefighting machine, which had malfunctioned before an audience of prominent guests and citizens, young Tesla ingeniously repaired it, leaving the audience amazed and inspired as they lifted him on their shoulders, honoring him with thunderous applause.
Nikola Tesla loved to dream, to imagine, and to ponder the most extraordinary projects, observing everything around him with the utmost attention. Every occurrence and object sparked his imagination, fueling a boundless wonder within him.
On one occasion, as this great lover of books read a vivid description of the Niagara Falls, he dreamed of visiting the site and constructing a large wheel that would turn tirelessly under the force of Niagara’s cascading waters. His vision, astonishingly, would one day become a reality.
Young Tesla had a vivid imagination but was hindered by weak health and a fragile will. Yet, after the age of twelve, his determination became remarkably strong. He became resolute, capable of overcoming even the greatest obstacles in life—a change attributed to the vast number of books he had read. His newfound inner strength exercised unyielding control over his delicate, weak body.
Thanks to this strength of will, Tesla developed an intense mental concentration. His mind reacted so vividly to certain images or objects that a single word could bring to life an exceptionally clear mental picture of the object it represented. This ability would later allow him to materialize his concepts and turn his ideas into groundbreaking inventions.
During his childhood, Tesla received a thorough Christian education, learning about the stories of the Old and New Testaments, conveyed to him in wonderfully vivid narratives by his pious parents. Every Sunday and on religious holidays, his devout mother would take him to the Orthodox Church for worship. These experiences left a profound impression on his innocent young heart, deeply rooting his faith.
“In high school,” one author notes, “he displayed a marked aptitude for mathematics and physics. This talent was greatly aided by his acquaintance with his professor from Karlovac, who himself experimented with scientific apparatus. Even then, the young assistant had developed a keen interest in the mysterious and wondrous phenomena of electricity. Though invisible, electrical energy’s manifestations are remarkably powerful… It is a profound area of inquiry, one capable of awakening the imagination. Hence, the phenomenon of electricity captivated Tesla, becoming the focus of his ideals.”
Upon graduation, Tesla’s parents wished him to pursue theological studies, though Nikola dreamed of becoming an electrical engineer. During this time, however, a dangerous epidemic struck, and he too became ill, his life hanging by a thread for an extended period.
His parents, overwhelmed with sorrow and fearing they might lose their son, kept vigil by his bedside. An experienced doctor, however, advised, “His illness stems from an unfulfilled desire. Think on this.”
With newfound resolve, young Nikola, his eyes alight with a profound inner determination, told his parents, “Perhaps I could recover if you allow me to study engineering!”
His father agreed and sent him to the finest technical school available.
This illness, or perhaps another later on, would ultimately bring about remarkable changes in Tesla’s mind. An article from Science Digest remarks:
“Nikola Tesla was one of those unparalleled geniuses born once in a millennium. He began as a pale, sickly, and utterly ordinary child. After enduring this illness, it was as though his mind transformed: he began to see in four dimensions. When he set out to design something, he could visualize the entire structure, no matter how complex. For months or even years, he could not only remember the object but could also ‘rotate and observe’ each individual part in his mind.”
(Galaxy, no. 86, June 6, 1976, p. 36).
In early 1876, Tesla enrolled in advanced technical studies in Graz, and by 1880, he had passed his engineering examinations.
In Prague, Tesla pursued courses in mathematics and physics and, after a year, joined the engineering department of the Telegraph Company in Pest, Hungary. There, Nikola made his first major discovery—the rotating magnetic field—a principle foundational to long-distance electric energy transmission and to modern electrical engineering.
In Pest, Tesla also contemplated designing a machine that would eliminate the cumbersome brushes used in the Gramme dynamo, an idea he had first discussed with his highly esteemed professor in Graz. For nearly two years, Tesla searched tirelessly for a solution. Finally, in 1882, a chance encounter sparked the insight he had been seeking.
Tesla recounted the experience:
“One afternoon, while taking a pleasant walk through a park in Budapest, I was reciting poems to myself. At that time, I knew entire books by heart, word for word, including Goethe’s Faust. At that moment, as the sun was setting, I was reminded of the famous lines: ‘The sun withdraws and the day dies, yet it creates new life beyond. Ah, that I had wings to spread, to soar with you over the wide earth.’ Such a beautiful sun it was, as it set.
Inspired, I spoke these words, and suddenly the idea struck me like a bolt of lightning, and in one single second, the truth was revealed. I used a stick to draw diagrams in the sand—diagrams that, six years later, I would present in my lecture to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers…”
From Pest, Tesla moved on to Strasbourg and Paris, and eventually, at the invitation of Thomas Edison, to America. One of his most groundbreaking inventions (in 1892) was that of high-frequency currents, known as Tesla currents, which remain invaluable to both medicine and radio technology today.
Working tirelessly, Tesla consistently sought innovations to improve human life. He once wrote:
“The ultimate aim of man is to fully conquer the material world and harness all natural forces to serve humanity. This is the mission of the inventor, who often remains without reward and is frequently misunderstood.”
In this respect, Tesla contributed immeasurably to humanity, prompting the German scientist Walther Rathenau to comment: “If Tesla were to reclaim all he has given to modern culture and civilization… humanity would return to barbarism.” Could there be any truer statement?
Tesla worked on a project he called the TMT Principle, based on harnessing an unlimited supply of energy from the Earth’s atmosphere. Quite simply, it was his vision for the wireless transmission of energy.
Tesla was a great patriot, an advocate for peace and brotherhood among all people and nations, who once remarked, “I am equally proud of my Serbian and Croatian heritage.”
During World War II, Tesla stood in support of the just cause of the Yugoslav people. He passed away in extreme poverty in a New York hotel during the war, on January 7, 1943.
Following his death, a New York radio station commented:
“Who do you think was the greatest inventor of all time? Thomas Edison? No! Marconi? No!… His name was Tesla, Nikola Tesla… His inventions made it possible for you to listen to the radio. His designs enabled television… If all of Nikola Tesla’s inventions were removed from our technical lives, 90% of all work would suddenly stop, and the world would fall into darkness, unemployment, and despair.”
Tesla’s biographer, John O’Neill, in his book Prodigal Genius, made an inaccurate claim: “Tesla did not belong to any faith.” In truth, Nikola Tesla remained an Orthodox Christian throughout his life.
In his farewell tribute, Louis Adamic perfectly captured the character of this genius, embodying the ideal Christian values: “Money—he did not care about it. Fame!—he is the one others celebrate. Gratitude!—he neither expected nor desired it.”
The most authentic testament to Tesla’s faith, however, came from Tesla himself in a conversation with his devoted friend, the sculptor Ivan Meštrović, known as the “Yugoslav Michelangelo,” when he revealed a personal secret: since his youth, he had knelt to pray to God every night before sleep. Can one who prays devoutly not belong to any faith? Certainly not! Only a person filled with faith acts in this way. In praying, Nikola Tesla followed the example of Jesus Christ and His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Nothing more.
Dušan H. Konstantinov (b. 1924 – d. 2002)
Dušan H. Konstantinov was a Macedonian intellectual and researcher, celebrated for his pioneering work in creating the first complete translation of the Holy Scriptures into modern Macedonian, thereby paving new paths for the nation’s spiritual and linguistic growth. Known for amassing one of the largest private libraries in Macedonia, he partially donated this collection to the Bigorski Monastery, offering broad access to knowledge and spiritual resources. Holding two doctorates from the Yugoslav era, Konstantinov is counted among Macedonia’s most influential cultural figures, leaving a lasting impact on the country’s scientific, spiritual, and cultural landscape.
