He Was Greatly Inspired By His Mother
On July 10, 1856, a Serb woman gave birth to Nikola Tesla in the Austrian Empire's Military Frontier settlement of Smiljan (modern-day Croatia). His father was an Eastern Orthodox priest named Milutin Tesla (1819–1879).
Uka Mandi (1822–1892) was Tesla's mother; her father was a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Tesla praised his mother as a first-class innovator and said that if she hadn't been so cut off from modern life and its opportunities, she would have accomplished so much more and exploited her talents. Uka Mandi put in a lot of effort from early in the morning till late at night, managed to find a number of gadgets around the house, and was well known for her skilled handiwork. She created a variety of tools and equipment, invented them, and wove exquisite patterns with her own spun threads. Her fingers were still dexterous enough to make three knots on an eyelash at the age of sixty. The majority of the clothing and furniture in the house was created by Uka Mandi, who also seeded seeds, nurtured plants, and separated fibers. One of the interesting facts about Nikola Tesla is he attributed his photographic recall and inventiveness to the genes and upbringing of his mother. April 1892 saw Uka Mandi passing. “You've arrived, Nido, my pride” she said to Tesla as she passed away. After the tragedy, Tesla became ill and spent some time in Gospic and the Croatian settlement of Tomingaj, where she was born.
