Nikola Tesla, 1903

Some believe that mankind's advances result from cumulative, relatively steady evolution; others believe that civilization is driven forward by the appearance, from time to time, of exceptionally creative, brilliant, or accomplished individuals.

If an argument were made in favor of the latter philosophy, it would be embodied by Nikola Tesla.

One of the most brilliant inventors of all time, Tesla gave us not only the alternating current motor, but the entire system of generating, transmitting, converting, and utilizing electrical energy on an industrial scale. His system, with some refinements, is still in use today.

Tesla pioneered radio, and was vastly more advanced than others experimenting in the field.

In 1893, Tesla demonstrated a complex radio-controlled boat, called by him a "teleautomaton," in a large water tank in Madison Square Gardens. His boat could start, stop, turn, reverse, and blink lights in answer to questions posited by the audience. The boat's commands were sent by Tesla via his radio console, located some distance away. This was the first demonstration of radio control, and was performed long before Marconi managed to send simple wireless signals a short distance with a crude apparatus.

But Tesla went far, far beyond the transmission of mere data by radio. He designed a system to transmit large amounts of electrical power without wires. And he apparently succeeded—a feat not duplicated by modern science. His effort culminated in the construction of the Wardenclyffe Transmitting Station on Long Island, New York, in 1903. The project was never completed; J.P. Morgan withdrew funding, apparently yielding to the withering criticism of scientists, who claimed Tesla's plan was utterly impossible.

In his later years, Tesla alluded to a device he was developing that could project a powerful, high-velocity beam of particulate matter to a great distance. Some called the apparatus a "death ray."

When Tesla died in 1943, The U.S. government seized his papers and designs. Even today, many of those plans are locked away as "Top Secret."

Such extreme genius and radical science begged inclusion in a novel, and StormDragon was the perfect vehicle.

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