We are all familiar with Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb — though it might be more accurate to say that he “finished” inventing the lightbulb: much of the preparatory work had been done by others before him. We quote him every time we say that genius is “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”.

Less well known, however, is his one time employee, Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was from Croatian Krajina, then part of the Austrian Empire but now part of Croatia. Like Edison, he was a genius inventor, and he worked in the field of electrical engineering. His list of inventions of inventions is impressive, and he is credited with having invented the radio.

Tesla and Edison did not get on, and Tesla left Edison’s employment to form his own company. One of my favourite quotes is from Tesla. While tenacity and determination are vital, these are traits that can so easily become unnecessary stubbornness. I find myself agreeing with Tesla in that cleverness and forethought can save time and energy:

If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. … I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety percent of his labor.

Nikola Tesla

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