Nikola Tesla and the Graz Tech

By Christoph Pelzl A new publication by TU Graz is dedicated to the "Graz years" of the inventor genius Nikola Tesla and spans from his student days in Graz to Tesla's traces in the present. The publication deals in particular with Tesla's relationship to Graz University of Technology, at the time known as the k.k. Technische Hochschule (Imperial and Royal College of Technology), where he studied from 1875 to 1878 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering in 1937 for his achievements. Text extracts and illustrations of original documents from the TU Graz Archive, including lecture sketches, Tesla's academic file and his telegram of thanks, which he sent to the Technical University on the occasion of his honorary doctorate, provide an insight into what happened at that time. The book is a revision of the publication produced on the occasion of Nikola Tesla's 150th birthday in 2006 by TU Graz's Institute of High Voltage Engineering and System Performance in cooperation with the Universalmuseum Joanneum. At that time, the focus was on the most important milestones in Tesla's life and his technical achievements, which are described in more detail in the new edition. Lasting traces of a genius. The new edition also highlights how Tesla's ideas had an impact on science and industry, the development of his educational institution in Graz, today the Universalmuseum Joanneum, and how his legacy has manifested at Graz University of Technology.