We are delighted to be able to continue our collaboration with OSHER ONLINE, an educational service that is offered by our "big sister" the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University. This class is being run and organized by NRC staff. Sessions are live and will not be recorded.
This course traces the life and innovations of Nikola Tesla, from his early years and university studies in Graz and Prague to his groundbreaking work in electricity and wireless technology. We will explore his collaborations and rivalries, including his work with Thomas Edison, the “War of the Currents” between AC and DC power, and his partnership with George Westinghouse, which led to the lighting of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Key topics include Tesla’s telautomaton invention, his wireless experiments, and his race against Marconi in the development of radio. We will examine the Wardenclyffe—Tesla’s ambitious wireless transmission tower, his work during World War I with Telefunken, and his interactions with Franklin Roosevelt. We will conclude with Tesla’s later-life invention of the particle beam weapon, his negotiations to sell it to the Allies during World War II, and the mystery surrounding his secret papers after his death.
Your instructor: Marc Seifer, PhD
Marc Seifer, PhD is the author of more than 100 articles and a dozen books, including the acclaimed Wizard: The Life & Times of Nikola Tesla, Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses, and Tesla: Wizard at War.
A frequent speaker on Tesla and technological history, Seifer has lectured at every International Tesla Conference and has presented at institutions including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, West Point Military Academy, and the United Nations. His work has been featured in many major publications and has appeared on the BBC, NPR, and in The Tesla Files, a five-part History Channel series which has aired in 40 countries.