Summary: <p>Nikola Tesla played a powerful role in the electrical revolution that transformed life at the turn of the 20th century. Born to a Serbian family in Croatia, he studied engineering in Austria before immigrating to America in 1884. He arrived penniless in New York, and within a decade, rivaled Thomas Edison as a celebrity scientist. His inventions, patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern AC electricity, and contributed to the development of radio and wireless communication. A new biography draws on original papers from Tesla's private and public life to examine what, why and how he invented.</p>
