Niagara Falls, N.Y.- Didn't know Niagara Falls was the birthplace of commerical hydroelectric power? Just check out the statue.

No, that’s not an Abraham Lincoln statue in Niagara Falls State Park, but I’ve been asked that before.

And sure Lincoln is an important figure in American history, possibly one of the most recognizable president’s our country has known, but he’s no Nikola Tesla.

Tesla, a little-known, but largely important Croatian inventor and engineer is considered by many as the "father of commercial hydroelectric power" and is celebrated with the large bronze statue at the entrance to Niagara Falls State Park on Goat Island.

Why?

Tesla, holds more than 700 patents, but most importantly he developed the alternating current system of power transmission. Using those patents and the assistance of George Westinghouse, Tesla played a role in the construction of the world’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and in-turn changed the way the world was powered.

Built in 1895, Niagara Falls Power Station No.1, produced 37 Megawatts of electricity and became the model for hydroelectric power plants across the world. Diverting water from the Niagara River, the plant transmitted power across New York State and Canada.  Today, large-scaled power projects such as the Hoover Dam and the New York Power Authority’s Niagara Power Project still use Tesla’s alternating current system.

The monument at Niagara Falls State Park was sculpted by a Serbian artist and portrays Tesla sitting in a chair, reading a set of notes. A replica of the monument stands at the University of Belgrade’s school of electrical engineering in Serbia.

So next time you turn on a light, or think you saw a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Niagara Falls, remember Nikola Tesla.

For more information on Nikola Tesla visit: http://www.teslasociety.com/

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