Growing up in Smiljan, Croatia, Nikola Tesla dreamed that one day he might harness the power of Niagara Falls. When he landed in New York Harbor, in 1884, Tesla had four cents in his pocket, a book of poems, a drawing of a flying machine, and a letter of introduction to Thomas Edison, the "electrical wizard" of America. But it was enough to start this genius inventor on his path.

Thomas Edison gave Tesla his first job in America, but the two inventors had different ideas about electricity. Tesla though that alternating current was the wave of the future, while Edison wanted to stick to his direct current system.

When Tesla met George Westinghouse, not only did he find someone who agreed with him about electricity, he got a job and the experience of a lifetime—lighting the Chicago World's Fair in 1893! Then, in 1895, Tesla and Westinghouse built the first hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls. The electrification of the world had begun.

From the dust jacket