Hooked on Tesla

“Nikola Tesla, Dreamer” From The World To-Day, 1901.

Jane Alcorn was hooked on science from an early age but it was not until a friend clued her in to the Wizard of Electricity  that she became hooked on Nikola Tesla. A major scientific player at the turn of the last century, Tesla established a lab at Wardenclyffe in Shoreham, Long Island to pursue his innovative experiments in electricity, radio, and broadcast energy.

Drawing inspiration from his story, Jane and a dedicated group founded The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. And eventually, they realized the dream of securing Tesla’s lab and have begun to restore it.

In the first of a two-part interview, Jane describes that journey and provides background on what made Tesla so inspiring. You’ll hear stories of his inventions and his interactions with the people of Shoreham as well as his connections to people like Mark Twain, Stanford White and George Westinghouse.

Look for part 2 next week when we discuss the long and surprising road to purchasing the Wardenclyffe site.

Stream in the player above or download audio.

Further Research:

“Around the World Without a Wire” from the New York Herald, Nov 13, 1898
“Nikola Tesla Duplicates the Light of Day” from the New York Herald, Feb 3, 1901
“The Forsaken Laboratory” from The Literary Digest, Apr 29, 1916.
“Not Built to Be But a Landmark” from The Literary Digest, Apr 29, 1916.
“Tesla’s Mysterious Plant on Long Island” from Deseret Evening News, Aug 12, 1905
Tesla’s patent for his teleautomaton.
View of lab from tower base. Photo courtesy of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe.
Chimney of Tesla’s lab. Photo courtesy of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe.

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