Works Cited
Primary Sources
Blitz, Gustav. "NIKOLA TESLA." Scribd. N.p., 18 Oct. 2008. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.scribd.com/collections/2297524/NIKOLA-TESLA?page=4>.
A collection of patents submitted by Nikola Tesla, this collection of primary sources was taken directly from the US
Patent Office archives. I used this source to gain corroborative information about the various patents that Tesla held
over his lifetime.
Edison, Thomas A. "Electrocuting an Elephant." YouTube. Ed. Lapsus5. YouTube, 23 Apr. 2011.
Web. 01 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCx89BRbVeU>.
On January 4, 1903, a crowd of 1,500 witnessed the execution of Topsy the Elephant of the Luna Park Zoo at Coney
Island by alternating current. The film "Electrocuting an Elephant" was filmed by Thomas Alva Edison. I found that
video evidence proved to be more convincing and historically accurate than other accounts.
Tesla, Nikola. Electro Magnetic Motor. Patent 382.279. 1888.
The original AC induction motor created by Nikola Tesla was patented in 1888. It was the first of its kind and became
the main patent of the Westinghouse Electrical Company. As the primary source of Tesla’s business with
Westinghouse, I found it useful to understand how exactly Tesla engineered the revolutionary motor.
"Tesla: Life and Legacy - The Missing Papers." PBS. TESSCO, Apr. 2004. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/fbi_01.html>.
Tesla's persona affects were confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after his death. Some of his
documents have been released. This is the first page in a series of Tesla’s notes. I found it very helpful to see Tesla's
actual notes. It brought the history to life.
"Tesla: Life and Legacy - The Missing Papers." PBS. TESSCO, Apr. 2004. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/fbi_02.html>.
Tesla's persona affects were confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after his death. Some of his
documents have been released. This is the second page in a series of Tesla’s notes.
Tesla, Nikola. "Nikola Tesla's "Apparatus for Transmitting Electrical Energy"" Nikola Tesla's "Apparatus for Transmitting
Electrical Energy" 21st Century Books, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.tfcbooks.com/patents/1119732.htm>.
This source is a secondary list of patents. It is from the same website as the article by Gary Peterson. I used this
source to corroborate with the scribd.com piece compiled by Gustav Blitz.
Tesla, Nikola. "The Wonder World to Be Created by Electricity." "The Wonder World to Be
Created By Electricity" by Nikola Tesla. 21st Century Books, 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1915-09-09.htm>.
In 1905, Nikola Tesla published an article in the Manufacturer's Record, a technology journal based out of
Baltimore. It described in simple language the importance of electricity in modern development. I found this
source to be important as it described Tesla's sentiments towards the public use of electricity.
"TWP Nikola Tesla Photo Archive." Tesla Wardenclyffe Project. 13 Feb. 2009
<http://www.teslascience.org/archive/archive.htm>.
A collection of photos and related information about Tesla’s workplace and Wardenclyffe Tower, I found the Tesla
Science archive to be tremendously useful as an assembly of primary source photographs of Tesla’s work, adding
visual evidence to literary fact.
United States of America. Department of Commerce. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Apparatus for Transmitting
Electrical Energy. By Nikola Tesla. 21st Century Books, 1998. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.tfcbooks.com/patents/1119732.htm>.
Originally filed in the United States Patent Office on January 18, 1902, Nikola Tesla's patent was approved on
December 1, 1914. The document is signed by Tesla himself, two witnesses, and Tesla's attorney. Like the notes
Tesla took himself, seeing the actual patent he published really brought the history to life.
Yount, Lisa. Nikola Tesla: Harnessing Electricity. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 2012. Print.
Lisa Yount's book provided me with excellent pictures and poignant quotations from people living at the time.
Thomas Alva Edison, Nikola Tesla, and Samuel Clemens among others are quoted within.
Secondary Sources
Aldrich, Lisa J. Nikola Tesla and the Taming of Electricity. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2005. Print.
Lisa J. Aldrich’s book provided a great deal of insight for me into the life of Nikola Tesla. It provided a full biographical
account of Tesla’s life and cited many primary sources.
Davidson, Alan. "Early Pioneers - Nikola Tesla." Alternative Energy. Alternative Energy, Mar. Apr. 2009. Web. 01 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.altenergy.org/new_energy/tesla.html>.
Alternative Energy is a non-profit site dedicated to the proliferation of alternative energy solutions to modern energy
problems. The website contains a page dedicated to Nikola Tesla's contributions to electrical power. I found this site
to be very useful for quotes and for illustrating the struggle between Tesla and Edison.
Decker, Jonathan. "Nikola Tesla: Genius or Insanity." Nikola_tesla_genius_or_insanity [Digital Archive]. University of Buffalo, 12
Jan. 2008. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/wiki/instruction/ULC257/doku.phpid=nikola_tesla_genius_or_insanity>.
The Works Cited page for a college essay, the University of Buffalo’s Digital Archives gave me an excellent starting
point to base my research around. As an accredited university, the source is credible and well-respected.
Hersh, Kathy B. "Mad Like Tesla: Underdog Inventors and Their Relentless Pursuit of Clean Energy | New York Journal of
Books." Mad Like Tesla: Underdog Inventors and Their Relentless Pursuit of Clean Energy | New York Journal of Books.
New York Journal of Books, 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/mad-tesla-underdog-inventors-and-their-relentless-pursuit-clean-energy>.
Kathy Hersh, a 30-year veteran of television and documentary production viewed Tyler Hamilton's book for the New
York Journal of Books. She gave the non-fiction science writer a favorable review. I used this book as part of my
research.
"Modern Importance of Alternating Current." Personal interview. 21 Oct. 2012.
Deborah Wilbert, a senior engineer at Lockheed Martin spoke with me about the importance of alternating current in
her work. The interview gave me some modern perspective on the importance of alternating current.
"Nikola Tesla Biography." Nikola Tesla Biography. The Gale Group, 2010. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
<http://biography.yourdictionary.com/nikola-tesla>.
The Gale Group published Your Dictionary, an online encyclopedia that draws information from their scholarly article
database. Your Dictionary provided helpful information for me, so that I could better focus my research.
"Inventor Nikola Tesla Biography." Inventor Nikola Tesla Biography. Idea Finder, 06 Oct. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/tesla.htm>.
Simply a brief entry about the life of Nikola Tesla, it held useful information, such as birth and death dates as well as
dates of important events. While far from complete, this source was excellent for me to begin with.
Palmer, Kendra A. "Let There Be Light: An Exploration of the Life of Nikola Tesla." Student Pulse. Student Pulse, Jan. 2009.
Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/98/let-there-be-light-an-exploration-of-the-life-of-nikola-tesla>.
This article published in a scholarly journal, Student Pulse, elaborates on the historical significance of Tesla's
birthplace and how his Serbian heritage affected his work. I found it useful to have additional perspective on Tesla's
personal life.
PBS.org. PBS, Apr. 2004. Web. 01 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/tesla/>.
The Public Broadcasting Service created a website for teachers and general knowledge supplementary to a television
special they had aired at the time. I found the website useful as inspiration on how to organize mine, but also for the
information within. The PBS website is sponsored by the Towson Engineering Sales and Service Company (TESSCO).
Peterson, Gary. "NEWSLETTER." Nikola Tesla. 21st Century Books, 1998. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.tfcbooks.com/articles/ntbio.htm>.
The author, Gary Peterson, left detailed instructions on how to reach him at 21st Century Books, leading me to believe
this is a solid source. Written as an encyclopedic essay, the article described Tesla’s life and his greatest
achievements. More importantly, it provided links for further reading, further validating its credibility.
"Tesla, Nikola (1856-1943)." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 23 Oct. 2012
<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
I found the Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology important, as it provided an alternative explanation for
Tesla’s genius and explained some of the finer points of Tesla’s personal life.