One hundred and fifteen fifty-three years ago, Nikola Tesla was born in the small village of Smiljan, Vojna Krajina, in modern-day Croatia. Beside the eponymous Tesla coil, Tesla is known for his contributions to the field of science, especially regarding electricity and electromagnetism.

In regards to the oft-cited Edison, Tesla had this to say:

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 per cent of his labor.New York Times (19 October 1931)

While Tesla passed away in 1943, penniless, his legacy is lasting. He laid the groundwork for many modern branches of science and technology, including robotics, ballistics, remote control, radar, nuclear physics, and and theoretical physics.

He was also obsessed with pigeons.

(via Wikipedia)