Lindsey Graham

And when Seghetti arrived in May 1887, the two friends got to work, spending long nights in Tesla's Liberty Street lab, refining his AC motor and pushing his dream of a new electrical system closer to fruition.

Soon, word spread about Tesla's innovative experiments and caught the attention of Thomas Martin, editor of the influential magazine Electrical World.

Martin visited Tesla in his Liberty Street lab, where he was shocked by what he saw.

There, Tesla had created a fully functioning AC power system, complete with a generator, an induction motor, and a transformer designed to step up or down the intensity of the power running through the wires.

This last innovation was key because it meant that AC power could travel long distances by being stepped up in voltage and then transformed down to a lower voltage to be used safely inside private homes or businesses, a distinct advantage over Edison's direct current system.

Recognizing the innovation at once, Martin then called in a well-respected electrical expert from Cornell University to review Tesla's work.

This expert was also immediately struck by the innovation and wrote to a friend that Tesla had produced a wonderful result by creating a faster, more efficient, and more powerful AC system with a design that had never been seen before.

He and Martin both urged Tesla to go public with his invention.

But still stung by the betrayal of his earlier business partners, Tesla held back until his patent applications were approved.

Only then did he agree to step into the spotlight.

Imagine it's May 16, 1888, at Columbia College in New York.

You're an electrical engineer and inventor, and you're here today to see a special presentation from a fellow innovator, Nikola Tesla.

For weeks, word has been circulating that he's made a significant breakthrough in alternating current.

But extraordinary claims are common in this field, and you've learned to be skeptical.

Tesla, wearing a dark suit, confidently takes the stage to begin his presentation.

On the table next to him sits a prototype of his new alternating current motor.

And as he gives his remarks, you scan the crowd around you in the small auditorium, nodding to a few familiar faces.

It looks like almost all of New York's most influential electric innovators are here.

And when Tesla finishes his presentation, you stand up and raise your hand to indicate you wish to speak.

All right, you in the front, would you like to say something?