Nicola Tesla is one of those people very often sidelined in life but almost worshipped after his death. There is a review of him at www.livescience.com/45980-nicola-tesla-biography.html … and it seems Tesla most famously invented AC – in opposition to Edison's DC. Tesla's AC was eventually adopted in spite of all the money and influence that Edison was able to throw at his preferred system. AC was simply more reliable.
The following day they updated their post – see www.livescience.com/46720-nicola-tesla-158th-anniversary.html … where his eccentricities are mentionedand the cult of personality that has developed around him – how great was Tesla?
Well, he was great at surviving on little sleep. Mrs Thatcher famously slept very few hours each night – which perhaps enabled her brain not to become befuddled, or that is one of the myths. Tesla, it seems, dozed off for a couple of hours before returning to the grist – and sometimes did not sleep for several days. His diet largely consisted of milk, honey, bread and vegetable juices. In later life he would only eat food that had been boiled – I hope it was not cabbage (nothing worse than soggy cabbage and sprouts). However, most importantly, Tesla had a remarkable memory (call it photographic if you like) one of the ingredients of success in the world of work and play. He comes across as a bit of a whacky individual – but he was responsible for some incredible ideas.