Many people know about Tesla cars but few of us unfamiliar with the world of physics and science know about the genius that was Nikola Tesla. He was a Serbian-American inventor, Electrical Engineer, and future-oriented scientist who sought to better society with his innovations. He is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system.

However, Tesla has been credited with hundreds of inventions, receiving patents for about three hundred of them, although it is also a fact that many of his works remain unpatented. Tesla is also famous for his conflict with a fellow scientist, Thomas Edison, and the world of physics is often divided into Edison fans and Tesla fans due to this. This article will share four interesting facts about Tesla that everyone should know.

Mart Production/Pexels | A genius kid solving a Rubix cube

Tesla Was A Serbian Child-Genius

Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in Smijan, in the region now known as Croatia. His parents were Duka Tesla who invented tools and was great at handwork, and his father was a priest, Milutin Tesla. He had four siblings, three younger sisters, and an older brother. By the age of seventeen, the genius kid could perform calculus operations in his mind, leading some of his teachers to believe that he was cheating somehow. Such was his genius as a boy that he finished High School a year earlier than was usually the case with boys and girls at his age.

Alexandr Podvalny/Pexels | Tesla’s Father Wanted Him To Become A Priest

Tesla’s Father Wanted Him to Become A Priest

Milutin Tesla wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a priest but he had aspirations of becoming an engineer. At the age of seventeen, Tesla developed a cholera sickness and was bedridden for nine months, almost losing his life in the process. It was this illness that prompted Milutin to vow he would send his son to engineering school if Tesla recovered from the illness.

Drew Rae/Pexels | During his younger years, Tesla developed a gambling habit and blew his scholarship funds on his addiction

Tesla Was A Failure at School and Ran Away from Home

Tesla did exceptionally well in school during his first year, even earning himself a scholarship. Unfortunately, he developed a gambling habit during this period and subsequently blew his scholarship funds on addiction. He would later win back the money he had lost via gambling before paying his family back. Soon thereafter, however, he would drop out of school, cut ties with his family, and run away from home.

Tesla Never Married or Had Kids

During his life, Tesla believed women would distract him from his goals and so he made it a point to stay away from them. He also believed that women were superior to men and that his chastity helped his genius, which is why he never married or had kids.