Nikola Tesla 1856.-1943.
istaknuti hrvatsko-američki znanstvenik

Već tone sunce, zamire već dan,
Al' ono drugdje novi život stvara.
O, imat krila - moj je davni san,
O, letjet za ljepotom toga žara!
Da, divna sna! Al' sunce zapada,
Ali, čovjek ima krila duhovna,
Al'tjelesna ne. Bozi nisu dali!

...

The award of the Edison Medal to Nikola Tesla is most appropriate, in view of the early contribution that he made to alternating-current motors. In order to recognize that contribution, one must go back to the period, thirty years ago, when alternating-current engineering was greatly handicapped by the absence of motors capable of being installed on alternating-current circuits.

It was at this point that Tesla invented the polyphase alternating-current system and polyphase motors, which, whether of the synchronous or of the asynchronous type, had the advantage of definite starting torque. It is generally understood that he was not the only inventor of the polyphase motor. The same idea seems to have occurred to one or two other independent inventors in Europe. But not only was Tesla the sole American independent inventor of the polyphase motor, but he was also the only inventor of it in the whole world who had faith in it. He believed in it enthusiastically and urged its claims both publicly and privately. He built the first small polyphase motor, which behaved very satisfactorily, and he urged the building of larger ones. Much experimenting, desiring and discarding had to be  done before large polyphase motors could be built successfully, and the progress was slow; but Tesla's faith was unshakable and his claims were prophetic. A less enthusiastic mature might have quailed before the discouragements and have allowed success to escape.

The polyphase motor was not Tesla's only pioneer contribution to electrical progress. He was a tireless experimenter, and his experiments carried him very early into the field of high-frequency alternators, or alternators which, in 1890, were considered to give high frequency. Later he developed the well known Tesla induction coil, or high-frequencey oscillator. With this new source he was able to demonstrate, during 1891 and 1892, in England, France and America, a number of entirely new electrical phenomena which at lower frequencies had been unobtainable. His lectures were given at the Royal Institution in London, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and in various other places. The experimental phenomena  he produced were dazzling and classical. They deservedly brought him great renown.

The high-frequency phenomena that Tesla first developed and displayed had scientific rather than practical interest; but Tesla called attention to the fact that by taking his electric oscillator, grounding one side of it and connecting the other to an insulated body of large surface, it should be possible to transmit electrical oscillation to a great distance, and to communicate intelligence in this way to other oscillators in sympathetic resonance therewith. This was going far toward the invention of radio-telegraphy as we know it today.

For the above reasons we welcome and acclaim the award to Nikola Tesla which the American Institute of Electrical Engineers has made of its Edison medal. We of this generation are prone to forget great efforts and the unwearying patience which have been necessary in the past to produce those results which are now the every-day electrical common-places of life, and it is well to signalize them, lest the next generation in its turn should forget the result of the pains and labor of this.

***

***

***

***

Poštovane gospođe i gospodo,

Čast mi je da kao rektor u ime Zagrebačkog sveučilišta pozdravim ovu svečanu akademiju i da odam poštu velikom našem zemljaku čiji rođendan danas slavimo. Hrvatsko sveučilište želi, da se i ovaj puta pokloni Nikoli Tesli, kojemu je pred dva lustra [20 godina] u sličnoj zgodi podijelilo doktorat honoris causa, i da mu od srca čestita.

Ako smo ga imenovali doktorom tehničkih znanosti, nismo htjeli da ga ocijenimo jednostrano: Tesla nije samo zastupnik tehnike, radnik na polju primijenjene znanosti, nego je poput tolikih znamenitih tehničara još i fizičar. Po njemu je priroda, kako je izjavio pred amerikanskim elektrotehničarima g. 1891., predmet od kojeg nema zamamljivijeg i vrijednijeg da se proučava. A najljepši je za njega "izum" - kako reče pred Englezima g. 1892. - oktriće t. zv. radiantne tvari. Rekao je to u doba kada još nije mogao slutiti golemu važnost što će ga taj pojav steći u tehnici 20. stoljeća. Govorio je tom zgodom iz njega fizičar, kojemu upoznavanje prirode samo po sebi ide nad sve one koristi, kojima to upoznavanje može uroditi za čovječji materijalni život.

A mogli bismo reći da je Tesla i filozof. Što se čuje o njegovu životu, mislim da na to upućuje. Koliko zanj znamo, gledamo u njemu čovjeka, koji je daleko od dnevne vreve, od članstva akademija i od počasnih doktorata živi samo svojoj znanosti, a ne zaboravlja rodnoga kraja, već s dubokim osjećajem i bez strasti prati njegovu sudbinu.

Tomu i takvom Tesli, tomu velikom tehničaru i fizičaru, tomu našem Tesli hrvatsko sveučilište od srca čestita 80-godišnjicu želeći mu, da još mnogo godina provede u dobrom zdravlju, a na korist znanostti i na diku stare mu domovine.