Inventor, Engineer, and Physicist Nikola Tesla (STEM Trailblazer Bios)

Have you ever tried to invent something? As a child, Nikola Tesla saw a picture of a waterfall and imagined an invention that would turn the water's energy into electricity. Later, he invented the water wheel, which turned water power into usable energy. As a young adult, Tesla spent his spare time experimenting with electrical equipment. He worked for inventor Thomas Edison, improving power plants and machines that ran on direct current electricity. But Tesla believed electrical distribution could be better. He went on to invent alternating current electricity, which would allow people to distribute electricity over long distances. Learn how Tesla's work eventually made turning on electrical devices as easy as flipping a switch!

"A celebration of innovators and the various STEM fields they pioneered and loved. Throughout the series, the authors routinely but gently emphasize how interconnected the acts of studying, inventing, and playing are (especially in Lonnie Johnson)―a quality that makes these titles natural companion texts for maker spaces. Also, the initial focus on the childhood of each subject allows students to draw their own personal connections (a young Nikola Tesla unsuccessfully tried to fly, Ellen Ochoa's parents divorced when she was a teen). Bright, well-designed layouts make for an effortless reading experience, though the text can be vague at points; for instance, in Katherine Johnson, students may wonder why her town 'did not have a high school she could attend.' Upbeat profiles of admirable STEM figures and fine additions to biography collections."―School Library Journal