"Who the hell is Nikola Tesla?" and "What does he have to do with Thomas Edison?"

It's probably prudent for me to answer those two questions before I even get into why Tesla was better than Edison in every conceivable way. Nikola Tesla was a Serbian (Whoo-hoo!) inventor of the 19th century. He was truly the father of the electrical age, despite Thomas Edison being given credit for that. His most famous work is that revolving around currents - particularly Tesla's alternating current.

You've probably been very familiar with the "work" of Thomas Edison since elementary school, but he had many of Tesla's patents. Tesla was a better representation of the American dream, and in general, a far better person to aspire to.

1. Tesla came to America to pursue his dream.

After his inventions didn't get the buzz he saw fit, he left Europe for the city that never sleeps and partnered with Edison, who promised him today's equivalent of one million dollars.

2. Tesla was literally 100% committed to what he loved to do.

It's rumored that Nikola Tesla remained celibate his entire life because he believed a woman would take his focus away from his work. That takes a whole lot of commitment. But it genuinely shows how dedicated he was to his work. Edison, on the other hand, married a sixteen year old girl.

3. Tesla was the artist; Edison was nothing more than a merchant.

Edison definitely made a fortune from his work, but his mind was certainly not the one that so passionately created these new, exciting things. He stood on the shoulders of geniuses - like Tesla - and more than anything, ran a business.

4. Edison would publicly kill animals.

His most famous one was Topsy the Elephant, who Edison electrocuted to "reveal" the dangers of Tesla's alternating current. It is rumored that he also paid local girls and boys to fetch him cats and dogs for the same purpose.

All in all, Tesla was a man far ahead of his time. He more than deserves the praise for his work, especially since we as a society are so dependent upon it. Thank you, Nikola Tesla, for being as fabulous and brilliant as you were.

Please watch this video as well. You're welcome.