Master of Lightning

PBS has posted a site dedicated to Nikola Tesla, my candidate for coolest scientist ever. Among other things, it includes a virtual tour o the Niagara Falls electrical generating plant and a fascinating hint that Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was created out of fear that the USSR had perfected his charged-particle beam weapon (you see, there's this huge controversy over what happened to his papers after his death).

Exploring the site is like venturing into a science museum's attic, it's chock full of fascinating tidbits—such as Tesla's death mask and documents from his FBI files.

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