SOURCE: "Nineteen," in Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla, Ives Washburn, Inc., 1944, pp. 294-317.

In the following excerpt, O'Neill examines several aspects of Tesla's personality: his social behavior and habits, his relationship with employees and the opposite sex, and his love for pigeons.

Tesla's mind always seemed to be under an explosive pressure. An avalanche of ideas was forever straining for release. He seemed to be unable to keep up with the flood of his own thoughts. He never had sufficient facilities to keep his accomplishments equal to his projects. If he had an army of adequately trained assistants, he would still be insufficiently equipped. As a result, those associated with him always experienced a sense of "drive"; yet he was a most generous employer both in the matter of wages paid and the number of hours of work required. He frequently demanded overtime work but always...