An Important Vision
Tesla had no choice but to drop out of school, triggering the first of many major breakdowns. He cut off all contact with his family and friends and moved to modern-day Slovenia. He found menial work and spent his spare time playing cards with other men on the street. A few years later, he moved again, this time to Budapest and that’s when everything changed.
Nikola Tesla circa 1890s. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
One day he was walking through the park reciting poetry when he had a vision. He grabbed a stick and began drawing a diagram in the dirt. He had finally cracked the electric current problem that nearly drove him to insanity in school. It was right then and there that Tesla came up with the idea to devise a motor powered with alternating currents (AC).