I think this is a guy that deserves a lot more attention; I'm hoping a lot of us on here will already know about him. He was arguably one of the greatest scientists and inventors of his entire generation, with an incredibly brilliant mind, every bit as brilliant as Einstein or Newton, and many, many years ahead of his time. This is a guy who brought us to where we are as a species in the 21st century....he brought us electricity, in the form of Alternating Current (AC), winning out over his arch nemesis, Thomas Edison, who was behind direct current (DC). Tesla's patents led to the first ever wireless communication, and so he also invented radio. He also invented or was behind the appearance and development of the induction motor, Hydro Electric Power, remote control, UV bulbs, early robotics and lasers, and his infamous Tesla coils. Bear in mind much of this was going on 100 years ago or more...
Any one of these would be a very valid contribution, and yet Tesla was responsible for these and many, many others. Despite this he died alone, penniless, at 86 in a New York Hotel room. He was also something of a mystic and some unique character traits. He was fluent in 6 languages, he wouldn't shake hands because he was obsessed with hygiene, and he couldn't stand the sight of pearl jewellery on women. He was also asexual and entirely devoted to his research.
An interesting symptom Nikola was affected with his entire life was flashes of light and visions, of which he had no control and gave him much anxiety. He was a visual thinker, and these visions would often show content of ideas he was working on at the time, he rarely made drawings, but could examine ideas and thoughts in his mind to the degree where he could often not tell what was real and tangible, and what was projected by his mind. Interestingly, I believe I experienced this incredible state of mind for just a few hours during my Iboga initiation, where I could 'see' my thoughts. And by see, I mean perceive them in perfect 3D holographic detail, and turn them with will alone, examining them from any angle. I can imagine such a state of mind would be an incredible advantage in the field of electrical engineering and many areas of science, although something of a curse to experience permanently.
This is an interesting 10 minute clip on his life and work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaxD_4n3KMg