Legend has it that Nikola Tesla, known for his work on electricity, was born during a lightning storm.
Few people’s names are as intimately intertwined with electricity (and now electric cars) as Nikola Tesla’s. Although well-known for his impressive batting average when it came to futuristic predictions (he foresaw the advent of mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and drones), the Serbian American inventor is also famous for his contributions to the development of alternating current (AC), the electric system that powers all our gadgets today. But according to family legend, Tesla’s world-changing work in the field of electrical engineering wasn’t just chance — it was a fate divined at the very moment of his birth.
In the mid-19th century, the small town of Smiljan was located in the Austrian Empire. Although Tesla’s family is ethnically Serbian, Smiljan resides in modern-day Croatia. (Both Serbia and Croatia now honor the famous inventor with statues and museums.) The story goes that on the night of July 9-10, 1856, an electrical storm was brewing overhead when Tesla was born right at the stroke of midnight — an epic origin story that has more in common with Greek mythology than sober scientific history. The legend goes on to note that the midwife who delivered the infant saw the lightning as an omen, saying Tesla would be a child of darkness. But Tesla’s mother, Georgina Djuka, defended her son, saying, “No. He will be a child of light.” It’s impossible to know if these words were actually uttered, however. The lightning storm itself is also a bit of a mystery, as weather records of rural Croatia in 1856 are spotty at best. But the story does help illustrate the extraordinary life of a man who went on to captivate the world with his electrifying inventions.
The air is 78% nitrogen, and nitrogen is one of the most crucial elements in helping plants grow. The molecule is a central component of photosynthesis — it’s part of the chlorophyll molecule — and without it, plants turn yellow and sickly. However, nitrogen gas (N2) in the air isn’t ready-made for plants to use, and its strong chemical bond doesn’t dissolve easily in rainwater. When lightning strikes, however, its immense power separates the chemical bond and free nitrogen atoms combine with oxygen to form nitrates (NO3). Unlike nitrogen gas, nitrates dissolve easily in rainwater, and help keep plants happy and healthy.
