Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) is a Croatian genius in the field of electric power, and practically the single man on whose theories the modern power grid was built.

Prior to the events of Martian Dreams, Tesla had managed to ignite the "War of Currents" by selling his patents on alternating current -- which he saw as the future -- to the Westinghouse company, which then engaged in heavy competition with Thomas Edison's company (later called General Electric). Tesla himself started a deep personal rivalry with Edison -- a rivalry that would be life-long.

Ironically, at the very 1893 world's fair where alternating current would prove its superiority, the space cannon was launched. Tesla started to build another capsule for a rescue attempt and was ready to launch two years later, when the Avatar arrived with Dr. Spector.

Once on Mars, Tesla stayed near the capsule in order to supervise the equipment that would enable them to communicate with Earth. His instructions proved to be important in order to repair the red planet's power grid. However, he refused to repair a direct-current motor, saying that Edison should do it.

After returning to Earth, Tesla would make many more inventions in the power sector, but would have little luck with money. At the time of his death in 1943 in New York, he'd amassed a huge debt.