However, despite all of his contributions to science, his name is little remembered outside the field of electronics and physics. In fact, Thomas Edison is often mistakenly credited in school textbooks with inventions that were developed and patented by Tesla.
Most scholars acknowledge that Tesla’s obscurity is partially due to his eccentric ways and fantastic claims during the waning years of his life, of communicating with other planets and death rays. It is now known that many of these fantastic inventions of Tesla are scientifically accurate and workable. It has simply taken mankind this long to catch up to the astonishing ideas of a man who died in 1943.
It is known that Tesla suffered from financial troubles throughout his adult life. Because of this, Tesla had to move several times when he could no longer afford his surroundings. The Waldorf Astoria in New York had been Tesla’s residence for twenty years, yet he had to move in 1920 when he could no longer afford it. Tesla then moved into the Hotel St. Regis, but again was forced to vacate due to lack of financial support.
Forced to move from hotel to hotel, he would often leave trunks of documents behind as security for his debts. These trunks, which were eagerly sought after Tesla’s death, have become the key to unlocking the mystery of who Nikola Tesla really was, and the incredible life that he secretly lead.
When Tesla died on January 7, 1943 at the age of 86, representatives of the Office of Alien Property, at the request of the FBI, went to the Hotel New Yorker and seized all of Tesla’s belongings. Two truckloads of papers, furniture and artifacts were sent under seal to the Manhattan Storage and Warehouse Company. This load was added to the almost thirty barrels and bundles that had been in storage since the 1930’s, and the entire collection was sealed under orders from the OAP.
Strange behavior, considering that Tesla was a legal American citizen…
