Visiting Tesla’s Homeland – Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia

Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla was born 160 years ago at midnight of July 9th/10th. His father was a Serbian cleric; his mother the daughter and sister of Serbian clerics. In a portent of his future, Tesla came to this Earth during a lightning storm – “a child of the light” – in the little town of Smiljan, then part of the Austrian empire in what is now Croatia. This year’s birthday celebration will be held in Serbia, along with Montenegro and Croatia.

After a day in Amsterdam, Serbian Airlines will swoop us into Nikola Tesla Airport in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade. First stop is the Tesla Museum, which will be launching a virtual reality exhibition the day of my arrival. I’m looking forward to a personal tour by the new Director, Dr. Branimir Jovanovic. An updated permanent exhibit will open the next day. Also part of the Tesla celebration are an art exhibit, a conference, and an evening gala, at which an award is waiting for me in recognition of the fantastic distribution of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. I plan to donate a copy to Dr. Jovanovi at the Museum on my arrival.

Of course, I’ll also be visiting with HRH Prince Alexander and HRH Princess Katherine of Serbia during an evening reception at the Royal Palace. When not dining with royalty I’ll be doing a walking tour of Belgrade and a day tour into the interior of Serbia, complete with castles, monasteries, and wineries.

Then it’s time to hop on Montenegro Airlines to Sveti Stefan for some of the best beaches on the Adriatic Sea on the coast of Montenegro. Over a few days we’ll see the historical capital of Cetinje, the National Park of Loveen, and the Fortress of Kotor.

From there it’s up the coast to Dubrovnik in Croatia where the plan is to spend a day on a yacht enjoying the coastline. Another day will be on foot, exploring the famed walls surrounding the city. From here we fly Croatia Airlines (have to get all three airlines into the itinerary) to Frankfurt, where we’ll explore the old city for a day before heading back home (on a fourth airline).

Watch this space for plenty of great photos of Nikola Tesla’s heritage homelands.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget you can enter to win free copies of both Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World on Goodreads.

Nikola Tesla

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.

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Tesla and Edison Books – Free Giveaways on Goodreads

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were rivals in the war of the currents. Nikola Tesla (and George Westinghouse) won that war and went on to electrify the world. Thomas Edison lost out in the AC vs DC battles, but had a productive career leading his invention factories. I’ve had the pleasure of writing about both men, and now you have a chance to read both books for free!

Nikola Tesla

In celebration of the newly released 7th printing of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, you can enter to win a free, first edition, signed by the author, hardcover copy of the book.

Just click here to go to Goodreads and enter the contest.

 

 

 

 

Edison cover on BN

And this month also sees the release of my newest book, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. Like Tesla, Edison is a beautiful, fully illustrated, hardcover book featuring stories and insights. Previous biographies of Edison neglected to mention his rivalry with Tesla, so I made a point to include Tesla wherever he interacted with Edison.

Click here and enter to win one of 5 free first edition, signed by the author, hardcover copies of the book.

 

 
You can enter either free book contest – or both! The contests are open until July 27th, so be sure to enter and then pass along the information to your friends.

While you do that, I’ll be visiting Nikola Tesla’s heritage in Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia, including the world-famous Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade. In fact, I’ll be flying into Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport. I’ll be taking tons of photos of the trip and will post them here as soon as I can (and from the road if I can get wifi).

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in July 2016.

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Update on Tesla and Edison

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison had a friendly rivalry. Okay, not always so friendly. Having written books on both inventors, I can say that while they had a lot in common (including the tendency to work all night long), they were very different men of invention. Here’s where they stand now.

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World is scheduled for release in July 2016 and will be available in Barnes and Noble bookstores. In fact, BarnesandNoble.com already has the Nook version listed and available for pre-order!

Next to the Nook button you can click on the button for hardcover to see the new cover design, which looks like this:

Edison cover on BN

If you’re interested in either version of the book please pre-order as soon as you can as this will increase the chances that the publisher will order additional printings to keep it in the stores. To get a teaser, check out 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Thomas Edison.

Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity now has over 65,000 in print in the United States plus is also available in at least two languages. Dutch and German editions (below) were published in 2015, a Turkish edition is in the works, and editions translated into several other languages are in negotiations.

Tesla Wizard Dutch edition

Tesla Wizard German edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can still find Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity in Barnes and Noble stores and at BN.com, as well as through resellers on Amazon. You can also get a signed first edition directly from me. My two Tesla-related e-books can be downloaded on Amazon.com.

Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time

Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This July promises to be a busy month. Not only does the Edison book come out and Tesla books get translated into additional languages, but I’ll be making a pilgrimage to visit Nikola Tesla’s heritage in Belgrade, Serbia.

Stay tuned for more exciting news about both Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Of Nikola Tesla and Actors

Yesterday I had a fascinating conversation with actor Bobby Campo about Nikola Tesla. It reminded me of the fascinating connections between actors and the electrical engineer that was the topic of my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

Bobby CampoCampo currently plays Seth Branson in the Scream: The TV Series. He also appeared in movies such as Legally Blondes and Final Destination, not to mention roles in various popular TV programs like CSI, CSI:Miami, and Gray’s Anatomy.  We had a pleasant conversation about a wide range of Tesla-related topics. I has impressed by Campo’s technical knowledge; he’s actually done experiments and built a Tesla coil. I gave him some background about my book, suggested he also check out Bernie Carlson’s Tesla book, and hooked him up with the Tesla Science Foundation. I enjoyed our conversation immensely.

James Lee TaylorCampo was sent to me by another actor, James Lee Taylor (aka, Jammy). I first met James when I was asked to advise the Director, Writer, and Cast of the off-Broadway play, TESLA, in 2013. I reviewed the play here, and it went on to a huge hit, completely sold out every night of its run in New York. James Lee Taylor has gone on to star in several acting endeavors, most recently in a guest starring role as the love interest of Gabrielle Union (yes, THAT Gabrielle Union) in the hit BET TV show, Being Mary Jane. Taylor is also a highly sought after model; so much so that it seems every update he posts comes from a different continent.

David Bowie

The fascination with Tesla by actors doesn’t stop there. Pop icon and actor David Bowie played Nikola Tesla in The Prestige, a 2006 movie about magicians featuring other big stars who like Tesla: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, and Michael Caine. Other actors fascinated by Tesla include prolific actor Jack Dimich, who not only co-starred with James Lee Taylor in the above mentioned TESLA play but plays Tesla in a new documentary in production. Another huge Tesla project is Tower to the People, directed by Joseph Sikorski, one of the biggest supporters of Nikola Telsa and the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. Sikorski is also the driving force behind another Tesla movie in production, Fragments From Olympus: The Vision of Nikola Tesla.

I’ve been privileged to have been associated with these people. The interest and dedication to keeping Nikola Tesla’s name alive has been a wonderful experience, one that I hope will continue for a long time.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Thomas Edison (and yes, Tesla)

Thomas EdisonEveryone knows everything there is to know about Thomas Edison, right? Not so fast. While writing my book on Nikola Tesla I found tons of unknowns about him (see 5 Things You Didn’t Know about Nikola Tesla), and now that I’ve written a book on Thomas Edison I’ve discovered so much about him that likely you didn’t know. Here’s a sample:

  1. Edison was mostly deaf: Edison started losing his hearing at an early age, probably around the time he was working on the railroads as a news butch. The exact cause is a mystery (even Edison had two different versions), but he says it allowed him to ignore the chitchat of people around him and focus on his work.
  2. He had two wives: And six kids. No, he wasn’t a bigamist. His first wife died very young after they had three children, then he married another young woman who gave him three more. Since he often worked 20 hour days and slept on a lab bench, it’s a wonder he found the time for intimacy at all.
  3. His biggest achievement was also his greatest failure: Edison had cornered the market on electricity distribution. He was wiring up New York City from his Pearl Street Power Plant and putting electric lights into the houses of the richest of the rich. Unfortunately it was all DC power and when Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse came along with AC power, well, Edison lost the war of the currents and got tossed from the company he started (we know it today as General Electric).
  4. He invented concrete houses: After 10 years trying to make a go of mining low grade iron ore, Edison turned to making houses out of concrete. The whole thing – including bathtubs, sinks, and stairs – could be built by pouring concrete into prebuilt molds. If you look hard enough, you might find one still standing.
  5. Edison was an avid writer: For a man who was tossed out of elementary school because he was “addled,” Edison became both an avid reader and writer. He wrote (and published) a mobile newspaper as a teenager, wrote technical articles, and started a textbook on telegraphy. But his most mysterious writing was a science fiction novel. Yes, complete with Amazons and Antarctic expeditions, and of course, strange ethereal electrical forces.

There is much more about Edison that most people would find surprising, and I cover them all in my new book coming out July 2016 from Fall River Press, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. I’ll share the cover design with you all soon.

And if you’re interested in Nikola Tesla, check out this comparison: Edison vs Tesla: Two Very Different Men of Invention.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Machu Picchu, or, Serbia? That is the Question

It seems I have to make a choice. The plan was to go to Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes in May. I even wrote a post last month, Preparing for Machu Picchu, in which I compared the area to a previous trip I made to the Argentinian Andes.

Machu Picchu

I admit I’ve been lax in following through on those preparations, some of which must be made sufficiently in advance to ensure getting in the queue. May is getting very close and arrangements are still not set.

And now a complication. The Tesla Science Foundation is planning a conference for July in Belgrade, Serbia. Attached to the conference is a 9-day trip that includes Belgrade (with a private reception with the reigning Prince and Princess), Montenegro, and Dubrovnik. I’ve always wanted to get to Serbia, and especially to the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, a place that I’ve held dear since the release of my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade

Logistically I can’t do both this year. Which sets up a choice. Given my dearth of organization for Peru I’m thinking that trip might best be put off until next year, and with the extra time to prepare, possibly expanded to include Lake Titicaca, northern Argentina, and Iguazu Falls. The Serbian trip would take less preparation on my part because it’s being planned by a highly skilled tour planner that also just happens to be a key player in the Tesla Science Foundation.

So this week is the time to decide all of this. I’ll let you know what happens.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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David Bowie is Dead – He Lives as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige

Pop icon David Bowie is dead, though he will always live on in my mind as Nikola Tesla in the movie The Prestige.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF76qlwWM8s

The Prestige was ostensibly about the rivalry between two turn of the 20th century magicians, but Bowie as Nikola Tesla provides the key scientific element that makes the movie. The rest of the cast in this 2006 movie isn’t so bad either, with some actors you may have heard of: Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Les Miserable, musical theater), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Avengers, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Andy Serkis (Gollum in the Lord of the Rings; Caesar in Planet of the Apes), and of course, Michael Caine (every movie ever made).

David Bowie was often described as a chameleon, able to adapt to changing musical genres, genders, and generations. Like Tesla, Bowie was somewhat of a polymath, capable of shifting between writing, performing, and producing music; theatrical acting; and maintaining a cult following rivaling Tesla himself. His influence in creating “glam rock,” “punk rock,” and other innovative musical genres. One biographer claimed in 2002, “it was almost impossible to find a popular artist today that has not been influenced by David Bowie.”

Sounds familiar. Nikola Tesla was also a man ahead of his time whose innovation and influence is still felt today.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Science Traveler – Wrapping Up the Wrap Ups of 2015

This morning I realized my watch was set for 1 hour behind the actual time. It took me a while to realize what had happened,* but it was a reflection on the amazingly busy/productive/exhausting/exhilarating year it has been. It’s time to wrap up the wrap ups.

David J. Kent drinking mateHere on Science Traveler I’ve recapped a year in the writer’s life. Two books written, a few articles for magazines and newsletters, and a ton of blog posts. I also summarized a year in science traveling that included everything from some major capitals of Europe to some alligator-infested National Parks to a prison on an island (no, not Alcatraz, the other one). I also cataloged my 2015 acquisitions of Abraham Lincoln books.

Near Cueva de las ManosOn Hot White Snow I summarized all the books I read in 2015 – all 96 of them…and I recapped what I can confidently say was a very good year.

On The Dake Page I reviewed the year in climate change, a year in which 2015 blew past 2014 as the hottest year in global temperatures on record. I also laid out the four things you need to know about the recent Paris climate agreement.

Science smartphoneThere was a lot more, so click on the blog names above and scroll down to see other articles of interest.

So what does 2016 hold for us all? Check back later for plans and predictions (and big changes to this website)!

Finally, thank you all for participating in this adventure with me. I appreciate your support, your loyalty, and your interest. I’m looking forward to providing more content in 2016 to give each and every one of you a reason to keep coming back.

Happy New Year!

*About the watch thing: I had set the watch back an hour for my trip to New Orleans, which is in the Central Time Zone. I never reset it. Since I work at home (when I’m not on the road), I generally don’t wear the watch at all, relying mostly on the clocks on my computer and smart phone. Only this morning as I sat in Panera did I notice the time was off. 🙂

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity Rises to #1 Bestseller in its Category AGAIN

Earlier in 2015 Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity reached #1 Bestseller status at Barnes and Noble…and now it has done it again! Even better, it reached #1 in two separate categories: “History of Science,” and “Scientists – General & Miscellaneous – Biography.” It also reached #2 in the “Inventors – Biography” category.

Tesla BN 12-28-15 History of Science #1

It has been a good year for Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, with three printings – the 3rd in February, and the 4th and 5th printings in July and August, respectively. With over 65,000 copies in print the sales are still going strong. This is incredibly important as each sale helps bring the world of Nikola Tesla to more and more people. The book is also a favorite check out in many local libraries.

The book has also been translated into Dutch and German, with more languages on the way.

It gets even better – for a limited time during the post-Christmas break, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is available on the Barnes and Noble website for a drastically reduced price. If you have not yet bought the book, now is the time to do it.

No word on when a 6th printing might be ordered, but it might not be until the summer of 2016 to coincide with the release of my similarly styled book, Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. Get the Tesla book now, and look for Edison in July. And check out my other writing here.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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The Year in a Writer’s Life – 2015

Hemingway's typewriterThe last few days of 2015 are bringing me somewhat of a breather from science traveling and writing and reading. It’s been a busy year in all respects. The writing scene has been especially productive.

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World was the biggest project this year, though definitely not the only one. Following on the success of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (which enjoyed its 3rd, 4th, and 5th printings in 2015!), Fall River Press of Sterling Publishing asked me to write a follow up in the same style. So not only is Tesla still in Barnes and Noble stores, it will be joined in the summer of 2016 by Edison. Needless to say, writing the Edison book kept me busy writing a good part of the year.

But it didn’t stop there. I also wrote an e-book that looked at the surprisingly many connections between my two favorite historic people. Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate is published on Amazon and available for download to Kindle or the Kindle App on any smartphone or tablet. You can also download my earlier e-book: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

This year also saw a few articles. “Abraham Lincoln: The Majesty and the Math of Niagara Falls” was published in the Sept/Oct issue of The Lincolnian. In addition, the next issue will begin my new recurring column in which I offer reviews of two Lincoln-related books. One of the two will be on a new Lincoln book while the other will review a “Classic Lincoln” book, that is, a book that has been around for a very long time and perhaps forgotten or unknown.

To this you can add an article I wrote for the Smithsonian Civil War Studies.Org online newsletter, “And the War Ends,” plus an article for the CPRC Newsletter. The latest issue of the CPRC Newsletter also included an article about me and the SETAC award I won this year.

And let’s not forget the blogs. Over the course of the last year I’ve written around 250 posts combined for Science Traveler, Hot White Snow, and The Dake Page. That’s a lot of writing.

My opening sentence of this piece is not quite accurate. I’m not actually done writing for the year. I’ve been working diligently on my Lincoln book proposal and will be doing some last fine-tuning of it this week so I can send it to my agent immediately after New Years. While she’s reviewing it I’ll be continuing to write the sample chapters. The goal is to have the publishing contract in place as early in 2016 as possible so that I can be working on that book for a 2017(?) release.

So 2016 should be a very good writing year as well.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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