Geek of the Week: Nikola Tesla, Bowman Wright

Welcome to "Geek of the Week"; here we honor one Muggle geek and one Wizard geek who embody Ravenclaw spirit...
when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943)
“I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.”

There are so many choice Tesla nuggets, including "I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman" (no, really, he said that), but none can accurately portray the complexity of this long-overlooked scientist and professional eccentric.

Tesla was an engineer and inventor who rivaled the likes of Thomas Edison in his production, transmission, and application of electric power.  Do you like using your computer, the television (which -ahem- uses a Tesla-invented coil), or lights in your home?  That's alternating current.  That's Tesla.  It's an oversimplication, of course, but the guy obtained over 300 patents worldwide, so forgive me some specifics.

Also?  So dapper!  Just thought I'd mention the obvious.

Find out more about Nikola Tesla on Wikipedia.


Bowman Wright (1462 - 1560)

Golden Snidgets are round birds covered in golden feathers; you probably won't see one in the wild now, as they are endangered, and there are serious penalties for capturing or injuring one of these elusive creatures.  The population was depleted in the span of a century, once their usage in Quidditch matches made Golden Snidgets a hot commodity.

So who saved them from extinction?  Bowman Wright, a metal charmer from the village of Godric's Hollow, was able to combine his interests in science and sport to invent the Golden Snitch we use today.  The Snitch is a marvelous piece of designwork; its rotational wings and light weight allow the device to behave just as a bird would in flight.

Find out more about Bowman Wright on the Harry Potter Wiki.