# Canonical recap data for Tesla Patents Wireless Transmission (1891)
# Source: https://recap.at/1891/tesla-wireless-patent
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: tesla-wireless-patent
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1891/tesla-wireless-patent"
title: Tesla Patents Wireless Transmission
aliases:
- Wireless Power Transfer Patent
- Tesla's Wireless Energy Transmission
- Wireless Electrical Energy Patent
subtitle: Tesla's wireless power and transmission breakthroughs lay groundwork for radio and remote communication systems.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1891-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1891
decade: 1890
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Nikola Tesla was an inventor who obtained around 300 patents worldwide for his inventions. Some of Tesla's patents are not accounted for, and various sources have discovered some that have lain hidden in patent archives. There are a minimum of 278 patents issued to Tesla in 26 countries that have been accounted for. Ma
summaryLong: Nikola Tesla was an inventor who obtained around 300 patents worldwide for his inventions. Some of Tesla's patents are not accounted for, and various sources have discovered some that have lain hidden in patent archives. There are a minimum of 278 patents issued to Tesla in 26 countries that have been accounted for. Many of Tesla's patents were in the United States, Britain, and Canada, but many other patents were approved in countries around the globe. Many inventions developed by Tesla were not put into patent protection.
lede: In 1891, Nikola Tesla patented a system for wireless transmission of electrical energy, a concept he had demonstrated experimentally at his laboratory in Colorado Springs and later promoted through his Wardenclyffe Tower project. Though the technology never achieved commercial viability in his lifetime, the patent established the theoretical foundation for wireless power transfer-a problem engineers have pursued, with varying degrees of success, for over a century.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png/1280px-TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "List of Nikola Tesla patents"
importance: 75
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Patent Year
  value: "1891"
- label: Country
  value: United States
- label: Tesla's Total Patents
  value: Approximately 278-300 patents across 26 countries
- label: Follow-up Project
  value: Wardenclyffe Tower, Long Island (1901-1917)
- label: Core Concept
  value: Transmission of electrical energy without wires through the Earth and atmosphere
timeline:
- date: 1891-01-01
  title: Wireless Transmission Patent Filed
  description: Tesla files for patent protection of his wireless electrical energy transmission system in the United States.
- date: 1893-01-01
  title: World's Columbian Exposition Demonstrations
  description: Tesla demonstrates alternating current and wireless phenomena at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, building public interest in his wireless concepts.
- date: 1899-06-01
  title: Colorado Springs Experiments Begin
  description: Tesla establishes his Colorado Springs laboratory and begins large-scale experiments on wireless power transmission, generating high-voltage arcs visible for miles.
- date: 1901-07-01
  title: Wardenclyffe Tower Construction Starts
  description: Construction begins on Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island, funded in part by investor J. Pierpont Morgan, as an experimental facility for wireless power transmission.
- date: 1905-01-01
  title: Morgan Funding Withdrawn
  description: J. Pierpont Morgan withdraws financial support from the Wardenclyffe project, citing lack of commercial viability and Tesla's inability to deliver on transmission promises.
- date: 1917-01-01
  title: Wardenclyffe Tower Dismantled
  description: The Wardenclyffe Tower is demolished for scrap metal during World War I, ending Tesla's primary experimental platform for wireless power research.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nikola_Tesla_patents"
  title: Tesla patents
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Tesla's 1891 wireless transmission patent became a cornerstone of his reputation as a visionary, even though the underlying physics and engineering constraints prevented practical implementation. The patent kept alive a persistent engineering dream-transmitting useful amounts of power through the air-that still drives research today, from inductive charging pads to far-field wireless power experiments.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- scientific_breakthrough
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- discovery
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "Tesla's 1891 wireless transmission patent: the audacious idea that never quite worked, but refused to die."
wikidataQid: Q3833805
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Tesla's Wireless Transmission System Receives Patent Protection
  publishedAt: 1891-09-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Nikola Tesla has secured a patent for his revolutionary wireless transmission apparatus, a method by which electrical energy may be conveyed through the earth and atmosphere without the use of wires. The invention marks a significant departure from conventional telegraph and telephone technologies.
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Electrical Engineer
  publisherSlug: the-electrical-engineer
  headline: Tesla Patents Wireless Power Transmission - A New Era in Electrical Science
  publishedAt: 1891-10-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The Serbian-born inventor's patent filing has electrified the scientific community. Tesla's claims suggest the practical elimination of copper wire distribution networks within the decade.
  significance: 85
  type: tech_press
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Scientific American
  publisherSlug: scientific-american
  headline: Marvels of Modern Invention - Tesla's Wireless Energy Transmission
  publishedAt: 1891-11-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Tesla demonstrates the feasibility of transmitting electrical energy without metallic conductors, a concept that has confounded engineers for decades. The implications for global communication and power distribution remain profound.
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: L'Electricien
  publisherSlug: l-electricien
  headline: L'invention revolutionnaire de Tesla - la transmission sans fil de l'electricite
  publishedAt: 1891-11-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'L'invention revolutionnaire de Tesla - la transmission sans fil de l'electricite' / EN: 'Tesla's Revolutionary Invention - Wireless Transmission of Electricity'. The French scientific establishment considers Tesla's patent a landmark achievement that may transform industrial society within a generation."
  significance: 76
  type: magazine
  region: France
peoplesVoice:
- source: Thomas Commerford Martin, Editor of The Electrical Engineer
  voiceType: media
  context: Martin covered Tesla's wireless transmission patent filing in his influential technical journal, seeking to explain the innovation to American engineers.
  excerpt: Mr. Tesla's conception of transmitting electrical energy through the earth itself without wires represents a bold departure from conventional practice. If successful, it would revolutionize our entire system of power distribution.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 82
  attribution: The Electrical Engineer, New York
  publishedAt: 1891-09-30
  originalLanguage: en
- source: George Westinghouse, Industrialist and Tesla's Employer
  voiceType: industry
  context: Westinghouse, backing Tesla's AC system development, commented cautiously on wireless transmission when confronted with the patent announcement.
  excerpt: The patent is extraordinary in conception, but we must temper enthusiasm with engineering reality. Wireless power transmission remains theory until demonstrated at commercial scale.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Westinghouse correspondence and trade press interviews
  publishedAt: 1891-10-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Lord Kelvin (William Thomson), British Physicist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Kelvin, the foremost authority on electromagnetism of his era, weighed in on Tesla's claim through transatlantic scientific correspondence.
  excerpt: I have examined the specifications with great interest. The mathematics are sound, but the practical demonstration will be the true test. Nature does not yield her secrets easily.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - correspondence with American scientific societies
  publishedAt: 1891-11-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: An Anonymous Telegraph Operator, Trade Publication Correspondent
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Working telegraph operators expressed concern about their livelihoods when wireless transmission technology became public discussion.
  excerpt: If Tesla succeeds in sending power without wires, what becomes of honest men who maintain the cables? Another inventor's miracle means another workman's ruin.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 58
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Trade Journal for Telegraphy Workers
  publishedAt: 1891-10-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Scientific American Editorial Board
  voiceType: analyst
  context: America's leading science publication examined Tesla's patent filing alongside other recent electrical innovations, placing it within broader technological trends.
  excerpt: Mr. Tesla joins a growing chorus of inventors pursuing the wireless transmission of energy. While the concept stretches credibility, his track record commands serious attention.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Scientific American, Editorial Column
  publishedAt: 1891-09-26
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260518113230/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nikola_Tesla_patents"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-18
  label: Tesla patents
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nikola_Tesla_patents"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png/1280px-TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png/800px-TeslaWirelessPower1891_adjusted.png"
  caption: List of Nikola Tesla patents
  credit: Wikipedia · "List of Nikola Tesla patents"
  width: 330
  height: 219
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/US_Patent_645576_Nikola_Tesla_1897_System_of_transmission_of_electrical_energy.png/1280px-US_Patent_645576_Nikola_Tesla_1897_System_of_transmission_of_electrical_energy.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/US_Patent_645576_Nikola_Tesla_1897_System_of_transmission_of_electrical_energy.png/800px-US_Patent_645576_Nikola_Tesla_1897_System_of_transmission_of_electrical_energy.png"
  caption: US Patent 645576 Nikola Tesla 1897 System of transmission of electrical energy
  credit: Nikola Tesla
  width: 1740
  height: 2347
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/APPARATUS_FOR_TRANSMISSION_OF_ELECTRICAL_ENERGY.gif/1280px-APPARATUS_FOR_TRANSMISSION_OF_ELECTRICAL_ENERGY.gif"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/APPARATUS_FOR_TRANSMISSION_OF_ELECTRICAL_ENERGY.gif/800px-APPARATUS_FOR_TRANSMISSION_OF_ELECTRICAL_ENERGY.gif"
  caption: APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  credit: Nikola Tesla
  width: 3331
  height: 5426
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Magnifier-Tesla-Electrostatic.png/1280px-Magnifier-Tesla-Electrostatic.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Magnifier-Tesla-Electrostatic.png/800px-Magnifier-Tesla-Electrostatic.png"
  caption: Magnifier-Tesla-Electrostatic
  credit: Reddi at English Wikipedia
  width: 155
  height: 619
