In 1931, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the alternating current and the holder of some 1,200 patents installed a mysterious box in the front seat of the Pierce-Arrow touring car:
The box is said to have been 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and 6 inches high. Out of it protruded a 1.8 meter long antenna and two ¼ inch metal rods. Inside the box was reputed to be some dozen vacuum tubes -- 70-L-7 type -- and other electrical parts. Two wire leads ran from the box to a newly-installed 40 inch long, 30 inch diameter AC motor that replaced the gasoline engine.
As the story goes, Tesla inserted the two metal rods and announced confidently, "We now have power" and then proceeded to drive the car for a week, "often at speeds of up to 90 mph."
While Tesla was indeed a fantastic character, I'd like to BUST this MYTH. This story, which originated from a supposed nephew of Tesla, is undone by the detail with which the author attempts to give his story credibility. Specifically, his mention of use of a 70L7 vacuum tube - which was not invented until 1939 - would have been pretty difficult to do in 1931. Unless Tesla used his time machine to procure them....
Five minutes of googling produces this. The nephew who supposedly took the ride and relayed the story later doesn't exist. Tesla never had a nephew named Peter Savo. The story is a fabrication.
Five minutes of googling produces this. The nephew who supposedly took the ride and relayed the story later doesn't exist. Tesla never had a nephew named Peter Savo. The story is a fabrication.