Nikola Tesla Died In Poverty

As he aged, Tesla's financial condition began to erode. He spent a lot of time and money living at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. He had to relocate to the St. Regis Hotel in 1922, which began a pattern of switching hotels every few years and leaving behind unpaid payments. With time, the majority of his patents expired, and he found it difficult to create an item that would sell well. Tesla was essentially destitute in the 1920s, yet his reputation and a few close friends frequently helped him get out of sticky circumstances. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company started paying Tesla's rent and $125 a month after he moved into the Hotel New Yorker in 1934. The Company would cover these costs up until his passing in room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel, according to an undisclosed settlement.

Tesla, who lived in poverty and seclusion for nearly 60 years, died in New York City on January 7, 1943, from coronary thrombosis at the age of 86. However, Tesla's contributions continue to this day thanks to his lasting legacy. Near the location of his former laboratory in New York City, at the junction of 40th Street and 6th Avenue, a street sign identifying “Nikola Tesla Corner” was put in place in 1994.