No Good Deed

Nikola Tesla probably encapsulates the famous saying, “No good deed goes unpunished” as well as almost anyone.

Despite groundbreaking achievements in electrical engineering, particularly in the development of alternating current (AC) electricity, Tesla's life was marked by a series of misfortunes and unreciprocated “good deeds.”

Tesla's altruistic nature often led him to focus more on the pursuit of scientific discovery than on personal gain. He once famously tore up a royalty contract with George Westinghouse, which would have made him immensely wealthy, to help save Westinghouse's company from financial ruin.

Despite the superiority of Tesla's AC system over Edison's direct current (DC), Edison's aggressive marketing tactics and smear campaigns during the “War of Currents” ensured that DC would win, and that Tesla’s reputation would be tarnished.

Tesla can even make a case for inventing the radio, but his early patents were overlooked in favor of Guglielmo Marconi's work. It was only …