Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist whose work helped define the modern electrical age. Born in 1856 in Smiljan, then part of the Austrian Empire, Tesla became one of the central figures in the development and promotion of alternating-current electrical systems. His inventions and demonstrations contributed to the practical adoption of AC power, high-voltage experimentation, electrical transmission, motors, transformers, lighting, and early wireless [...] combined rigorous technical ability with an extraordinary talent for public demonstration. His lectures and experiments made electricity visible and dramatic, helping audiences understand the promise of alternating current, high-frequency power, and new forms of illumination. Though many of his larger ambitions remained controversial or unfinished, his influence on electrical engineering, popular science, and the mythology of invention has only grown. He remains one of the best-known inventors in the history of science and technology.