Nikola Tesla is a name that sparks imagination. A visionary inventor, futurist, and electrical pioneer, Tesla shaped the modern world in ways we’re still uncovering. He gave us alternating current, laid the groundwork for wireless communication, and predicted technologies that wouldn’t exist until a century later. Though his legacy is now celebrated globally — with everything from electric cars to space-age technology bearing his name — there’s still much that isn’t commonly known about Tesla the man. Where did he come from? Who were the people behind his genius? And what can we learn from his family history?
We’re taking a closer look at Tesla’s origins and the legacy he left behind:
Early Life and Family
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in the village of Smiljan, in what is now Croatia. He was the son of Milutin Tesla, a Serbian Orthodox priest and writer, and Đuka Mandić, a woman known for her inventiveness and mechanical skill despite having no formal education. Tesla often credited his mother as his first inspiration and spoke about her creative spirit.
Reflecting on his early life, he wrote:
“I must trace to my mother’s influence whatever inventiveness I possess … My mother was an inventor of the first order and would, I believe, have achieved great things had she not been so remote from modern life …” — Nikola Tesla, Tesla Museum
He grew up in a region shaped by complex cultural and political forces: a Serbian family living under Austro-Hungarian rule. From a young age he spoke multiple languages and later studied engineering in Austria and Prague, before setting out on a path that would take him across Europe and eventually to the United States.
Tesla was one of five children, including his older brother Dane, who died tragically in childhood, and three sisters: Milka, Marica, and Angelina. His father’s side of the family included generations of Serbian Orthodox priests and scholars, while his mother’s side — the Mandić family — came from a line of artisans and soldiers. Both families were rooted in the Balkan region, especially in what are now Serbia and Croatia.
Immigration and Early Career in America
Tesla immigrated to the United States in 1884, arriving in New York aboard the SS City of Richmond. He landed at Castle Garden, the immigration station that predated Ellis Island, carrying little more than a letter of introduction to Thomas Edison and a handful of personal belongings. Within years he was making his mark on science and innovation.
Castle Garden, New York’s immigration station in the 1890s, colorized by MyHeritage.
Tesla circa 1890, at age 34, animated by MyHeritage.
Among the historical records available on MyHeritage is Tesla’s 1891 U.S. passport application, found in the United States Passport Applications, 1795–1925 collection.
Nikola Tesla’s 1891 U.S. passport application, sourced from the United States Passport Applications, 1795–1925 collection on MyHeritage.
The document confirms his birth year as 1856 and lists his birthplace as “Lika, Austria” — referring to the larger region that includes his hometown of Smiljan, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. The application also includes a physical description: dark brown hair, light brown eyes, a prominent nose, a height of 6 feet 1.5 inches, and a mustache. These details align with known photographs of Tesla and offer a uniquely personal snapshot of him at age 35.
Fame, Struggles, and Solitude
After arriving in America, Tesla’s career advanced rapidly. He first found work with Thomas Edison, but the two clashed almost immediately. Tesla became convinced that alternating current (AC) was the most efficient way to transmit electricity over long distances. Edison, deeply invested in direct current (DC), rejected Tesla’s ideas outright. Their disagreement escalated into what became known as the “War of Currents.”
Edison went so far as to launch a public campaign to discredit AC. He staged demonstrations in which animals were electrocuted with alternating current, and even supported the creation of the electric chair as a grim warning about its dangers. Tesla, meanwhile, pressed forward with his vision. Backed by industrialist George Westinghouse, he proved AC’s advantages beyond doubt, most famously by helping power the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and later the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant.
Tesla’s famous “Egg of Columbus” demonstration wowed crowds by using a rotating magnetic field to spin a copper egg upright, dramatically illustrating the principle behind his new alternating current induction motors.
Nikola Tesla’s Egg of Columbus at 1893 Chicago World Fair.
Tesla’s prominence in New York society by the late 19th century is reflected in Notable New Yorkers of 1896–1899; a Companion Volume to King’s Handbook of New York City, a publication available on MyHeritage. There, he is listed as “Nikola Tesla, LL.D., Electrician, Electrical Investigator and Inventor, Discoverer of the Rotating Magnetic Field, etc.” This entry captures how Tesla was already recognized as a pioneer, with the rotating magnetic field — one of his most important discoveries — noted as his defining contribution.
Nikola Tesla’s entry in Notable New Yorkers of 1896–1899, on MyHeritage.com.
Even though Tesla secured more than 700 patents worldwide, money was always a struggle. He spent much of his later life moving from one New York hotel to another, often leaving when he couldn’t pay the bills. His mind never stopped working — he dreamed of wireless power, remote-controlled machines, and even powerful “death rays” — but many of these ideas were brushed aside as unrealistic. Still, time proved him right in one crucial way: today the entire world runs on the alternating current system he championed.
By the 1930s and early 1940s, Tesla’s life had grown lonelier. He still drew the occasional headline for his bold predictions, but behind the news stories he was coping with poverty and declining health.
On January 7, 1943, Tesla died alone in a New York hotel room at the age of 86. An obituary in The Ypsilanti Daily Press on January 8, 1943 highlighted his invention of the Tesla coil, his pioneering work in wireless transmission — described as “transmission of intelligence without wires”. The obituary also noted his modest lifestyle, preference for solitude, and bold predictions, including a “death ray” said to be capable of “killing an army of a million”.
Excerpt from The Ypsilanti Daily Press, January 8, 1943. Courtesy of OldNews.com.
Legacy
When Tesla died in 1943, he left no wife or children, but he wasn’t entirely without family. His nephew Dr. Sava N. Kosanovich acted as chief mourner in the U.S., and newspapers also named several other nephews and nieces as heirs, most still living in Yugoslavia, along with another nephew, Engineer Nikola Trbojevich of Ohio.
For years after his death, Tesla’s brilliance went largely unrecognized. Only later did the world begin to appreciate how far ahead of his time he truly was. Historical records help us keep stories like his alive — showing not only the famous achievements, but also the families, homes, and small details that made up a life.
With more than 36 billion historical records available on MyHeritage, you can do the same for your own family. Explore your roots, follow relatives across the globe, and preserve the stories that deserve to be remembered. Start your search today!
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Source: My Heritage