Childhood Nikola Tesla. Life in the family. School years. Disease. Who to be?

In the west of the modern Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia, at the foot of the eastern slope of the Velebit mountains covered by dense, impenetrable forests, lies the town of Gospic - the center of the province of Lika.

Majestic and beautiful nature of these places. On the tops of the mountains wild rocks piled on top of each other. With difficulty can be found between the two small pieces of land suitable for processing under the crop. Small wonder that in Croatia there is a popular legend, if god, evenly distributed on the ground stones, flew over it with a big bag. Over Lika bag broke, and the rest stones spill, creating Velebit. Not far behind the ridge - the coast of the Adriatic azure, or, as his name is here Yadranskogo sea; just a few hours away - striking in its beauty of Plitvice Lakes, surrounded by mighty oak, beech and maple forests. Rapid River waterfalls running down from the high mountains to the valley plateau Lika.

In the midst of these forests was lost small village of Smilyan. And although the city only twelve kilometers of Gospic, only hiking mountain trails inhabitants of this village get to the center of the province. One hundred years ago, when Croatia was part of the Habsburg Empire, to seize the land of Croatia and Slovenia and enslave freedom-Slavic peoples, Smilyan consisted of only a few houses, a school where the instruction was not in their native Croatian, and German, of the church but the Orthodox Church, next to which was a small house of a priest. In this house, store up to 1942, in the family priest Milutin Tesla at midnight from 9 to 10 July 1856 was born the fourth child, named Nikola.

In those years, the country has experienced the oppression of various conquerors: Turkish, Hungarian, Austrian, the Orthodox Church was one of the centers of resistance of the freedom of the Slavic peoples. Milutin Tesla was a priest by vocation. He came from an old Serbian family, for a long time to move from Serbia to Croatia, in the province of Lika. In XVII century this kind called Dragnich that means in Serbian "expensive", but having moved to Croatia, he received another name - Tesla associated with the main occupation of most of the family members.

Members of this genus were distinguished not only as a master of his craft, but as brave defenders of the homeland. Parents Milutin Tesla were military. He along with his brother Josip and gave in his time in the officers' school. But the military science, drill and shagistika not interested in both brothers. Milutin soon threw an officer's school and enrolled in the seminary, which gave the opportunity, along with the study of theology in his spare time to engage in the natural sciences and mathematics. Josip, after graduating from school, he taught mathematics at the military schools, and later became a professor at the Military Academy in Austria.

After graduating in 1845 the seminary, Milutin Tesla married Juke Mandic. After his marriage, he was appointed chaplain of the Greek Oriental Church in the town of Canopy, where he lived from 1846 to 1852. Here, three of the older children were born in the family of Tesla's son Dane and two daughters - Angelina and Milka. In 1852, Milutin Tesla was transferred to Smilyan. An educated and gifted man, Smilyanskii priest was interested not so much theology as literature, philosophy and the natural sciences. Like his brother Josip, Milutin very fond of the study of mathematics and science expressed in this remarkable abilities. He knew perfectly several European languages, read a lot, loved books and collected a large library, which contains not only rare theological tomes, but also perfectly matched the literature on natural science.

Such was the father of Nikola Tesla. However, no less influence in shaping the character of the future scientist and his mother had Juka. It was a peculiar and very gifted nature. Early lost his mother, Juka, the eldest in a large family, I had to take care of all of the six brothers and sisters. All her life she remained illiterate (in her homeland, in Gragatse was not Serbian schools, and Juki's father did not want to send her to school, where he taught in a foreign language), but soon discovered a deep natural intelligence, artistic taste and love of folk art. Juka Tesla knew a lot of memory on Serbian folk songs, excerpts from "Mountain wreath" - a remarkable creation of the Montenegrin poet Petar Njegos.

She was also known in the neighborhood for its handicrafts, especially its hard work and ingenuity.

It happened more than once that a traveler who found shelter in one of the mountain villages in Croatia, with interest considered intricate devices for various household chores or remarkable loom, on which you can make any tissue - and coarse for clothing and the finest walking on the embroidery and crafts .

- Who invented these devices? Who invented such a wonderful loom? - Involuntarily interested surprise guest.

- Our Juka - proudly answered, the owner of a rare machine - Juka Mandic from Gragatsa. Go for it, if your way is through Gragats. In the neighborhood you will find the forewoman skilful and hospitable hostess. She gladly show you their embroidery and lace work, which do not find at the fair in Zagreb, but still sing many songs, tell no one ancient legend.

About handmade craftsmanship Juki Mandic remained almost legendary tales of old - you can hear it and now Gragatse: hands, roughened by housework she could tie three knots on the cilium.

Marriage and a large family did not change its character, cheerful and active. Maternal affection, tender care and constant ringing song for life remembered her children. But at the same time it was a demanding mother, brought up their children in the indomitable will, perseverance in achieving this goal, noble thoughts and desires.

In such circumstances, it increased Nikola Tesla. The years of his childhood spent in an extraordinary family, among the amazing nature, were filled with poetry and fairy tales of old, they have left an indelible mark in the impressionable mind of the future scientist. Many times later childhood memories, pictures of peaceful life of a proud, freedom-loving, courageous people, with exceptional resistance to endure all the vicissitudes of history, inspired by Nikola Tesla and helped him to overcome the difficulties.

The family brought him dennoe thing - love for people, for their work, humanity in the highest sense of the word.

Even in early childhood, before he went to primary school, relatives noticed that Nicolas has an unusually vivid imagination. The boy read a lot, was fond of poetry and music. It was enough for him to read or hear anything like before his eyes instantly recreated tableau read or heard.

Rich natural imagination was further developed by a mother with stories, legends and folk songs filled, it seemed an impossible dream of working ordinary people relief. And even in those children, especially in the teenage years Nikola Tesla has put his to find ways to make life easier for the common man.

"Do people have to work hard all your life is so hard - he thought, looking at the exhausted farmers -. No, I have to build a machine that will run itself, but people only look after her!"

And he spent hours telling her younger sister Maritza, this machine is a combination of obedience and faithful servant endurance mule should be arranged. It was where imagination run wild! Many times throughout a long life, Tesla recalled those dreams and they drew strength to achieve this goal.

In 1861, Tesla's family suffered severe grief - as a result of an accident killed the eldest son, Dane, extraordinarily gifted and able young man, whose idolized everything in the house. After the death of Dana, is the pride of the family, all the love of parents gradually moved to Nicola, though father and older sister for a long time still treated him with a certain aloofness. Attorneys secret thoughts of St. Nicholas were only mother and younger sister, Maritza, enthusiastically fond of his life.

One of the earliest childhood memories of Nikola Tesla, he recorded his own at the age of eighty years to twelve years of his daughter if a close friend is related to the following incident. On a frosty January evening when the twilight thickened slightly and the house is not yet lit the fire, six Nicola played with a black cat. But the fun was interrupted by an extraordinary phenomenon, Show a miracle not only the child. Back cat suddenly lit up with a strip of blue light, and touching it caused a shower of sparks.

Father and mother Nicola stood spellbound.

- Stop playing with the cat, - said at last, his mother, - and that can cause a fire. The boy's father, who had a typically answer to any question, difficult to explain this strange phenomenon, but said that, apparently, it's electricity, and similar to what happens during an electrical storm.

Electricity? The boy first heard the word, but a fabulous event remembered for years to come. Not Tesla interest arose in the evening to whether inexplicable phenomenon, which led him to give the study of electricity and eighty years of life? In the first grade of elementary school in Smiljan, Tesla studied and then continued teaching, and he graduated from elementary school in real Gospic, which in 1804 moved the whole family. There Nicolet had to overcome arisen since the early days hostility of some teachers and classmates, due to the fact that its development did not correspond to the age and ability to hit all around.

The extraordinary memory, a rare ability to produce complex mathematical calculations in his mind, calling lightning response when a teacher has just finished dictating the task - all antagonizing unusual child. Not by years tall, thin, awkward southpaw (later Tesla learned equally proficient in both hands), he at first appearance at the school did not cause sympathy from their classmates.

But soon the teachers realized that they were dealing with a child, an unusually gifted and peers evaluated Nikola agility in the games, the ability to swim like a fish, the ability to make friends and to be faithful to friendship in all conditions. We can not tell you about one episode from school Tesla. Perfect for managing all subjects, already fluent in these years, except for the Serbian and Croatian, German, French, Italian, Nicola was considered the last pupil in painting and drawing, although it is perfectly at home and drew a bad draw. This puzzle is explained by the fact that the student, who is the last place for drawing and painting, in accordance with the school rules to be deleted. One of the boys, who had average grades in all subjects, drawing and sketching worst, and it threatened to him the exception. Tesla then decided to become a disciple of the worst class in these subjects, being sure that his success in mathematics and physics will not allow him to apply strict punishment.

Tesla was a living child. He liked the mobile children's games, but even more, he loved to go far into the mountains for hours to follow the flocks of sheep in the deep gorges - sheep seemed small, unreal, toy. Clouds in the sky above them, took bizarre forms at times, seemed giants. Sometimes the boy would find a thunderstorm in the mountains, and he looked with delight at the blazing sky of countless lightning. And each time Nicholas recalled the case with a cat ... Often Nicholas climbed into the forest, catching it in homemade snares songbirds. But it is short-lived and suffered in captivity their captives and are usually released after a few days of freedom. Nikola and Marica always kept at home a lot of pigeons, carefully fed them, invented them affectionate names and nicknames.

Nicola was an excellent swimmer and gained great fame in Gospic for his ability to dive and swim underwater river. This passion led him repeatedly to dangerous adventures. So, one day when Nicole was fourteen years old, he dived, swam under the river water and emerged on the other side just under the raft. The boy nearly drowned, he was saved only by great composure: gathering all his strength, he pushed the log, put his head into the hole, took a deep breath, again plunged into the water and swim under the raft, surfaced near the shore.

Years of teaching in Gospic were the beginning of the innovation process of Nikola Tesla. It was then, with a few unusual circumstances, the first acquaintance with machines. In this small town of the voluntary fire brigade once got a new fire pump. The first test it was arranged very solemnly; but one can imagine disappointing present, when it was found that the pump is able to pump water. The general confusion broke Nikola Tesla - Supervisory boy quickly found the problem and fix it, let the pump. There were no curiosity - suddenly began to operate the pump jet of cold water to douse the crowd had come up too close to the noble citizens, do not expect the boy's knowledge, sufficient to solve the problem.

Soon Nicola built himself several models of water turbines, installed them on the river and began to scrutinize their work. At the same time, he became acquainted with the major technical literature. In one of the books Tesla came across a description of Niagara Falls. Boy, have seen the Plitvice, I imagined a majestic view of Niagara and in their dreams became to design a turbine for use of its energy. At this time, Tesla conceived the idea for the first time to go to America and build a station at Niagara Falls.

At school, where he studied Tesla had mechanical and electrical equipment with which the teacher was doing a lot of interesting experiments. Nikola interested in them and, after a while, he began to experiment with the electric machine and the Leyden jar. A spark, slips during the discharge of the banks made a big impression on him: it was another manifestation of the strange and terrible force with which he had met in the mountains Velsbita. And boy eagerly pounced on a book about electricity.

Soon thirteen Nikola appeared some own thoughts on atmospheric electricity, and he expressed his schoolteacher rains management idea by creating an artificial lightning.

During exercises Tesla further developed the ability to quickly account. He performed all the mathematical calculations mentally represented on the board, immediately calling the end result. This feature is preserved in Tesla for life. Already a well-known scientist, he made calculations and design in mind, representing the imagination interaction of the parts he had invented the device. Tesla permanently stored in the memory machine design created by him, and even dozens of years could call the size of any part ^1.

Once Nikola seriously ill. His life was in danger. Recovery, for Tesla's own story, came quite unexpectedly - during his illness, he began to read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain. Cheerful opened book he is the desire to live that effort he forced himself to overcome the disease, and soon, to the surprise of the doctors who treated him, recovered. Works of Mark Twain's favorite books ever stayed Tesla, and he was incredibly happy when many years later personally met and became friends with the great American writer. Meanwhile, it's time to continue the teaching in Higher Real School, Nikola Tesla, and was sent to the city Karlovets a cousin of his father Stanke Brankovnch. Here he worked hard all the same favorite subjects: mathematics and physics.

House aunt did not know any need. The family was well provided, but Stanka Brapkovich differs considerable eccentricities, nephew fed starvation, counting harmful to thin and sickly young man, how Nikola Tesla was in those years, eat your fill. Her husband, Uncle Nikola tried to secretly feed the boy, but soon these attempts were detected and terminated power-loving aunt. Later, in his autobiography, Tesla explained their enhanced training in Karlovac is the need to stifle the feeling of hunger. Like it or not, it is difficult to judge, but he actually managed to finish a four-year course of study in three years and a bachelor's degree. After graduating from the High School to the real boys had to choose a profession. Sam Nicola considered the world's best specialty electrical engineer. However, his intention to continue the teaching of the Higher Technical School has met strong opposition of his father, his son wants to see a priest. Nikola Tesla strongly protested against the wishes of his father, not only because of the passionate desire to become an engineer, but also because even at that time he did not recognize any religion. In the midst of the stormy disputes Nikola seriously ill. Subsequently, he held that suffered cholera, but the memories of his family during the illness did not confirm this. Anxiety whole family for his life is beyond description. Sam Nicholas comforted relatives, saying that if the father agrees to the continuation of technical education, he will direct all his will to recover. If this is denied, then death is inevitable.

The father long resisted the request of his son. Only when, in the words of one of the biographers of the scientist, the door of the other world was open to Nikola Tesla Milutin gave an oath not to interfere with the intentions of his son.

This event is not passed to Nikola Tesla completely. Assuming that he was ill with cholera, Tesla, for fear of contracting it again, lifelong remained doubtful and morbidly fastidious, which is especially conspicuous in the years of his material well-being. Generally all diseases of Nikola Tesla, of course, had the character of a rather rare allergic diseases associated with an increased reaction of the senses to external stimuli, and left their mark on the whole of his life.