| July 10, 1856 | Nikola Tesla Was Born | Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents were ethnic Serbians. His father was an Orthodox Priest, and he credited his mother for his inventiveness. |
| 1875 | Tesla Enrolled at Austrian Polytechnic | In 1875, Tesla began to study engineering at the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz, Austria. He claimed to have graduated, but the institution disagrees. |
| 1882 | Worked for Continental Edison | In 1882, he went to work for Continental Edison in Paris. He was attempting to improve on electrical equipment sent from the United States. |
| 1882 | Identified Magnetic Induction Field Principle | Working independently, Tesla identified the rotating magnetic induction field principle. This is used today in alternators. |
| 1884 | Moved to United States | Tesla moved to the United States in 1884, immediately approaching Thomas Edison with a letter of introduction. According to Tesla, he was offered 50,000 dollars to solve a problem, but Edison never paid. |
| 1885 | Nikola Tesla Quit Working for Edison | After Edison refused to pay, Tesla quit working for Edison, with the plan and intention of starting his own electrical company. |
| 1886 | Began Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing | Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company in Rahway, New Jersey. He invented and marketed an arc lamp; however, he earned relatively little off of his investment. |
| 1887 | War of Currents | The War of Currents began in 1887. Direct current, invented and supported by Edison, was in direct competition with Tesla's alternating current. |
| 1891 | Patented Tesla Coil | In 1891, Tesla patented the Tesla Coil. The Tesla Coil is a resonant transformer circuit that produced a high voltage, low current and high frequency alternating current electricity. |
| 1891 | Columbian Exhibition | With the support of the Westinghouse Company, Tesla's alternating current powered the World's Columbian Exhibition. Tesla had offered a lower cost electrical solution. |
| 1901 | Construction on Wardenclyffe Tower Began | In 1901, construction began on the Wardenclyffe Tower. Tesla believed that he could transmit electrical energy over long distances wirelessly, and the tower would illustrate that. The project was never fully completed. |
| August 4, 1915 | Files Suit Against Guglielmo Marconi | On August 4, 1915, Tesla filed suit against Guglielmo Marconi. Marconi is typically credited with radio transmission; however, Tesla accomplished this before Marconi. |
| 1934 | Particle Beam Research | In 1934, the New York Times published Tesla's particle beam research. While he was not financially successful, he continued to be a relatively prominent voice in the scientific community. |
| January 7, 1943 | Tesla Died | On January 7, 1943, as World War II raged, Nikola Tesla died in the hotel he made his home. Upon his death, the U.S. government immediately seized his papers and research. |
| 1960 | A Tesla Was Defined as a Unit of Measurement | In 1960, the scientific community recognized Tesla's achievements by defining a Tesla as a unit of measurement. A Tesla is a unit of magnetic field B. |
