09/23/2026
NIKOLA TESLA — IT IS TIME TO GIVE HIS LEGACY THE PLACE IT DESERVES
A global call to remember not only what Tesla invented, but what he stood for
There are people who belong to their time.
There are people who belong to their nation.
And then there are people whose work becomes so important that they belong to humanity itself.
Nikola Tesla belongs to that last group.
His inventions helped shape the modern world. His name is known on every continent. His work continues to influence science, engineering, energy, communications, and technology.
But perhaps we have focused too much on what Tesla invented and not enough on the kind of human being he was.
Tesla left us more than inventions.
He left us a vision of knowledge as a service to humanity.
He left us an example of dedication, personal discipline, creativity, and concern for future generations.
And today, in an age of artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced technology and rapid scientific change, his moral message may deserve renewed attention.
TESLA BELONGS TO THE WORLD — AND HIS ROOTS SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
Nikola Tesla belongs to all humanity.
People of many nations have embraced his work, studied his ideas, built institutions in his name, and continue to celebrate his legacy.
That is something to be proud of.
At the same time, recognizing that Tesla belongs to humanity does not require us to forget where he came from.
Tesla was born in 1856 into a Serbian Orthodox family. His father, Milutin Tesla, was an Orthodox priest, and his mother, Georgina Đuka Mandić, came from a deeply rooted Serbian family.
His heritage is therefore an important part of his story.
We should not use that heritage to divide people.
We should use it to connect them.
Tesla can belong to the world while his Serbian roots remain an important and truthful part of his identity.
That is why this should not be a Serbian initiative alone.
It should become an international conversation.
FROM SCIENTIFIC ICON TO MORAL AND SPIRITUAL EXAMPLE
There is a question that deserves serious consideration:
Can Nikola Tesla also be remembered as a moral and spiritual example for future generations?
This question does not require us to make a religious conclusion in advance.
It requires us to study his life.
To examine his writings.
To understand his relationship with faith, humanity, nature and knowledge.
To distinguish documented history from later interpretations.
And to allow theologians, historians, scientists and scholars from different traditions to participate in the conversation.
Perhaps the first question should not be:
“Should Tesla be declared a saint?”
Perhaps the first question should be:
“What can humanity learn from the moral and spiritual dimensions of Tesla's life?”
That is a conversation the whole world can join.
JULY 9–10 — TESLA NIGHT
Tesla was born on July 10, 1856.
This date gives us an opportunity to create something that could become genuinely global.
TESLA NIGHT
Imagine beginning in Belgrade on the evening of July 9.
At midnight, July 10 begins — Tesla's birthday.
Then, as the Earth turns and different time zones reach July 10, celebrations continue around the world.
Belgrade.
New York.
Chicago.
Los Angeles.
Toronto.
Buenos Aires.
London.
Paris.
Vienna.
Tokyo.
Sydney.
And then across the remaining time zones.
Twenty-four hours dedicated to Nikola Tesla.
Not simply ceremonies.
Not simply speeches.
But science.
Education.
Children.
Tesla clubs.
Inventors.
Artificial intelligence.
Robotics.
Art.
Music.
Culture.
Faith.
Humanity.
And conversations about the future.
Every country and every community could create its own program according to its own culture and traditions.
A school might organize a Tesla science day.
A university might hold a symposium.
A museum might create an exhibition.
A church might organize a respectful program reflecting on his spiritual and moral heritage.
An engineering organization might demonstrate Tesla's inventions.
Artists might create new works inspired by Tesla.
Young people might build robots, experiments and new technologies.
And Tesla organizations around the world could connect all of these activities into one global celebration.
One day. Many nations. One shared human legacy.
JANUARY 7 — A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
There is another date that deserves special attention.
January 7, 1943.
On that day, Nikola Tesla died in New York City.
He died at the Hotel New Yorker, in room 3327, where he had spent his final years.
The Nikola Tesla Museum's historical documentation records his death on January 7, 1943. His funeral service took place several days later, and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church participated in the religious rites in New York.
The Hotel New Yorker therefore represents an important part of Tesla's final chapter.
It is more than a building associated with his death.
It is a place connected with his final years, his work, his thoughts and his final days.
Perhaps January 7 could become an international Day of Remembrance for Nikola Tesla.
Not a day belonging to one nation.
A day belonging to everyone who wishes to remember him.
Schools could tell his story.
Universities could discuss his scientific legacy.
Museums could display his work.
Tesla clubs could organize lectures.
Families could introduce children to his life.
And people everywhere could ask a simple question:
What can we learn from Tesla today?
TESLA AND THE QUESTION OF SAINTHOOD
For many people, Tesla's relationship with faith naturally raises a deeper question about his spiritual legacy.
This question deserves respect.
It also deserves seriousness.
Sainthood is not simply a title that can be created because someone is admired.
If the question of Tesla's possible place within Orthodox spiritual tradition is ever formally considered, it should be examined through the appropriate ecclesiastical processes, historical evidence, theological study and careful scholarship.
There is no need to prejudge the answer.
The important thing is to begin the conversation.
Perhaps different traditions will use different words.
Some may see Tesla primarily as a scientist.
Others as an inventor.
Others as a humanitarian.
Others as a spiritual seeker.
Others may see him as a moral example.
Some Orthodox Christians may wish to explore whether his life has a deeper spiritual significance.
These perspectives do not have to prevent dialogue.
They can become the beginning of it.
WHY TESLA'S MORAL MESSAGE MATTERS TODAY
The world Tesla entered was very different from ours.
Yet some of the questions he confronted remain remarkably familiar.
What should science serve?
Who should benefit from technology?
What responsibilities do inventors have?
Can progress exist without moral responsibility?
What kind of world are we creating for future generations?
These questions are especially important today.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, advanced energy systems and other technologies are developing rapidly.
Technical capability alone does not tell us what we should do.
We also need wisdom.
We need responsibility.
We need ethical principles.
And this is where Tesla's legacy can speak to the modern world.
Knowledge should serve humanity.
Technology should improve human life.
Progress should carry responsibility.
These principles deserve to be discussed alongside Tesla's scientific achievements.
A GLOBAL INITIATIVE — NOT A SINGLE COUNTRY'S PROJECT
This idea should not belong exclusively to Serbia.
It should not belong exclusively to the Serbian Orthodox Church.
It should not belong exclusively to Tesla Science Foundation.
It should not belong exclusively to any single institution.
If Tesla truly belongs to humanity, then the world should have an opportunity to participate.
Every country can decide how to honor him.
Every culture can find its own way to tell his story.
Every Tesla club can organize its own event.
Every university can contribute scientific programs.
Every school can introduce children to his ideas.
Every museum can preserve a part of his history.
Every community can decide what Tesla means to them.
The goal is not to create uniformity.
The goal is to create connection.
LET JULY 9–10 BECOME TESLA NIGHT
We therefore invite Tesla organizations, scientists, universities, museums, schools, cultural institutions, churches, artists, inventors and individuals around the world to consider participating in a global Tesla Night.
Beginning on the evening of July 9 and continuing through July 10, communities could organize their own events and share them with the world.
The celebration could move across time zones like a wave of light.
From East to West.
From one continent to another.
From one generation to the next.
One night.
One day.
Hundreds of communities.
Many cultures.
One human legacy.
AND LET JANUARY 7 BE A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
The same international community could come together each January 7 to remember Tesla's life and his final chapter in New York.
The Hotel New Yorker could become one of the symbolic international places of remembrance.
Belgrade could remember his Serbian heritage.
New York could remember his American years and final days.
Smiljan could remember his birthplace and childhood.
And communities around the world could remember the scientist whose ideas crossed every border.
TESLA DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER MONUMENT
Perhaps Tesla does not need another monument.
Perhaps he needs a living legacy.
A legacy in which children learn science.
Young people learn responsibility.
Scientists discuss ethics.
Engineers remember the human purpose of technology.
Artists find inspiration.
Teachers tell the story.
Families pass his name to another generation.
And nations cooperate instead of competing over who owns his legacy.
Tesla's greatest monument may not be made of bronze or stone.
It may be a generation of young people who believe that knowledge, creativity and humanity can work together.
A QUESTION FOR THE WORLD
More than eighty years after Tesla's death, we can still ask a question that has not lost its meaning:
What place should Nikola Tesla have in the moral, cultural, scientific and spiritual memory of humanity?
We do not need to answer that question today.
But perhaps we should finally begin asking it together.
Let historians study it.
Let scientists discuss it.
Let theologians and religious leaders consider it.
Let educators teach it.
Let young people interpret it.
Let different cultures bring their own perspectives.
And let the conversation continue across borders.
Because Tesla's life crossed borders.
His science crossed borders.
His ideas crossed borders.
His legacy crossed borders.
Perhaps now his remembrance can do the same.
TESLA NIGHT — JULY 9–10
A GLOBAL CELEBRATION OF SCIENCE, HUMANITY, CULTURE AND LIGHT
JANUARY 7
A GLOBAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR NIKOLA TESLA
Two dates.
One extraordinary life.
A legacy shared by humanity.
And an invitation to every person, organization, institution and country that believes Tesla's message still matters:
Let us not only remember what Nikola Tesla created.
Let us remember what he believed science could do for humanity.
And let us help his legacy inspire the future.
