Genius

A main feature of the inventor's life is that he was a genius. Margaret Cheney shares with readers Tesla's assurance that he inherited this from his mother, who was also an inventor. In her case, she devised handy devices for use around their home. All her activity of that sort was limited to the family budget and never grew into any kind of public demonstration.

The youth of Nikola Tesla was relatively normal for his cultural context. He was one of several children. When one of the children died, it left an emotional mark upon the entire family. The young Tesla was allowed to play in such a way as to develop some familiarity with experimentation.

The culture was very conducive to the healthy development of excellent memory. Nikola made the most of this opportunity. This may sound odd, but it is quite true that he realized the...