Process Paper
For a while now, I have been fascinated by Nikola Tesla, the unknown inventor responsible for a large portion of modern technology. When I was assigned history day, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to teach the world about this great leader that history seems to have forgotten. My interest in Tesla began some time ago when I read a humorous internet blog entry about him and his largely forgotten achievements. I have always been intrigued by the way some names are drilled into heads by society and some people go forgotten even in their glory.
To conduct research, I began by purchasing several books and searching the internet for sources that would be reliable. The Library of Congress website had a wealth of resources about Tesla, especially pictures, and I was pleased to find a site called “The Tesla Collection.” This contained a variety of old newspaper and journal primary sources that were an essential part of my research. Organizations dedicated to keeping alive Tesla’s legacy, like the Nikola Tesla Museum and the Tesla Memorial Society of New York, were also extremely useful for finding primary sources. Most of my secondary source information came from some interesting books, including W.B. Carlson’s Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age.
I decided I wanted to create a website because it seemed like the most visual and creative way to express the life of Nikola Tesla. Making a website gave me the ability to organize information categorically and store many sources in a small space with slideshows. In the past, I have built several websites, so I knew I would enjoy creating another one for this project. Additionally, I felt that a website would allow me to make the largest variety of research types visible to my viewers. My website creation process took place throughout the time I gathered research. I prefer to make the project as I research because it helps me maintain organization.
Nikola Tesla is clearly a leader in that he influenced many prominent minds and made contributions to science and technology that drove progress into the modern age. Scientific achievements like the creation of the x-ray and the age of radio wireless were not Tesla’s alone, but he made the initial steps and inspired others to continue his work. Tesla’s legacy, though massively unknown, lives on in the countless devices he pioneered. Tesla’s logic gate has become the backbone of the computer. Tesla’s radio patent, though infringed upon by Guglielmo Marconi, ultimately allowed for the vast radio systems prevalent throughout the 1900’s. Today, several of Tesla’s patents are used by companies like Tesla Motors, pushing renewable energy over the use of fossil fuels. Without Tesla’s technological leadership and legacy, progress would be far behind it is today. Constantly, Tesla struggled in his life, but ultimately he persevered and continued to invent without fearing negative outcomes. He is probably the most forgotten American innovator of all time.
For a while now, I have been fascinated by Nikola Tesla, the unknown inventor responsible for a large portion of modern technology. When I was assigned history day, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to teach the world about this great leader that history seems to have forgotten. My interest in Tesla began some time ago when I read a humorous internet blog entry about him and his largely forgotten achievements. I have always been intrigued by the way some names are drilled into heads by society and some people go forgotten even in their glory.
To conduct research, I began by purchasing several books and searching the internet for sources that would be reliable. The Library of Congress website had a wealth of resources about Tesla, especially pictures, and I was pleased to find a site called “The Tesla Collection.” This contained a variety of old newspaper and journal primary sources that were an essential part of my research. Organizations dedicated to keeping alive Tesla’s legacy, like the Nikola Tesla Museum and the Tesla Memorial Society of New York, were also extremely useful for finding primary sources. Most of my secondary source information came from some interesting books, including W.B. Carlson’s Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age.
I decided I wanted to create a website because it seemed like the most visual and creative way to express the life of Nikola Tesla. Making a website gave me the ability to organize information categorically and store many sources in a small space with slideshows. In the past, I have built several websites, so I knew I would enjoy creating another one for this project. Additionally, I felt that a website would allow me to make the largest variety of research types visible to my viewers. My website creation process took place throughout the time I gathered research. I prefer to make the project as I research because it helps me maintain organization.
Nikola Tesla is clearly a leader in that he influenced many prominent minds and made contributions to science and technology that drove progress into the modern age. Scientific achievements like the creation of the x-ray and the age of radio wireless were not Tesla’s alone, but he made the initial steps and inspired others to continue his work. Tesla’s legacy, though massively unknown, lives on in the countless devices he pioneered. Tesla’s logic gate has become the backbone of the computer. Tesla’s radio patent, though infringed upon by Guglielmo Marconi, ultimately allowed for the vast radio systems prevalent throughout the 1900’s. Today, several of Tesla’s patents are used by companies like Tesla Motors, pushing renewable energy over the use of fossil fuels. Without Tesla’s technological leadership and legacy, progress would be far behind it is today. Constantly, Tesla struggled in his life, but ultimately he persevered and continued to invent without fearing negative outcomes. He is probably the most forgotten American innovator of all time.
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