Tesla operating world's first remote-controlled vehicle.
1898: Tesla Lectures In Buffalo
"High Frequency Oscillators for Electro-therapeutic and Other Purposes" address before a meeting of the Electro-therapeutic Association at the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences in Buffalo, New York.
An illustration of the submersible Tesla boat in water.
December 8th, 1898: Tesla Demos Automaton Boat
Tesla publically demonstrates his "automaton" technology by wirelessly controlling a model boat at the Electrical Exposition held at Madison Square Garden in New York City during the height of the Spanish-American War.
A larger model of Tesla's boat with the deck removed.
An illustration of the submersible version of Tesla's boat.
Photograph of Tesla's boat detailing the prop and rudder.
The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences building in Buffalo, New York.
"On Electricity" address on the occasion of the commemoration of the introduction of Niagara Falls power in Buffalo, New York, at the Ellicott Club.
"The Streams of Lenard and Röntgen and Novel Apparatus for Their Production" lecture is given before the New York Academy of Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History building in New York.
A fire broke out in the basement of 33-35 South 5th Ave. (now West Broadway) and swept through the entire structure, including Tesla's laboratory, which occupied the entire fourth floor of the six-story building.
All of his hundreds of invention models, plans, notes, laboratory data, tools, photographs, valued at $50,000, were destroyed. Tesla is quoted by "The New York Times" as saying, "I am in too much grief to talk. What can I say?"
The first large generator of the Niagara Falls Power Plant, which bore Tesla's name and patent numbers, was ran at full speed, 250 revolutions per minute, and proved quite satisfactory.
Thomas Commerford Martin's article "Tesla's Oscillator and Other Inventions" is published in "The Century Magazine."
Tesla had originally noticed what he described as "a very special radiation" years earlier when working his "carbon-button" lamp. He produced pictures he called "shadowgraphs" and had performed numerous experiments with them up until the fire at his lab. Upon learning of Röntgen's discovery, Tesla wrote him and sent some of the pictures recovered from the fire. Röntgen replied and asked Tesla how he produced them.
After fire destroyed the 5th Ave. lab, Tesla was allowed to use Thomas Edison's workshop at Llewellyn Park, New Jersey, but this was only a temporary solution. Within a few weeks, Tesla had rented a laboratory below Greenwich Village, near Chinatown, at 46 and 48 Houston St. This building is now the home of Soho Billiards.
Tesla, along with George Westinghouse, Edward Dean Adams and others tour Niagara Falls and the new Adams Power Station.
The new A.C. power system enjoyed a flawless inauguration, transmitting electricity to Buffalo, New York 22 miles away.
It came first to the Buffalo Railway Company - 1,000 horsepower, switched into the company's powerhouses at exactly midnight with a signaling of the event to the city by the firing of cannons, the blowing of steam whistles and the ringing of bells.
Tesla was elected honorary member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb.
Tesla is voted corresponding member of the Serbian Royal Academy of Belgrade.
Thomas Commerford Martin, editor of "Electrical World" and vice-president of the AIEE published the first book on Tesla's research. "The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla" is a comprehensive compilation of Tesla's work with many illustrations.