10 | 07 | 2026

National Day of Nikola Tesla – Day of Science, Technology and Innovation

Source: Pixabay

By a decision of the Croatian Parliament, July 10 was declared the National Day of Nikola Tesla, the Day of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Nikola Tesla, one of the most significant minds in the history of invention, science and technology, was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Lika. His education in Karlovac, Graz and Prague, as well as professional experience at the Telegraph Office in Budapest, formed the foundations of his later inventive and scientific work.

In that early period, Tesla developed inventions in the field of turbines and telegraphy, but he did not yet protect his ideas with patents. It was only upon his arrival in the United States of America in 1884 that Tesla fully realised the importance of patent protection as a means of protecting and applying innovative solutions and making knowledge about inventive technological solutions
publicly available.

The patent protection system provided him with a framework in which he could legally protect his inventions, but also share knowledge about them with the public in a way that encouraged further technological development. This is precisely the fundamental purpose and essence of patent protection.

Tesla's life course clearly shows that the welfare of humanity was above his personal gain. He was aware that his inventions were used as a starting point for new technological solutions, and he did not seek to limit their application but to encourage progress.
Tesla's exceptional scientific and technological contribution is also confirmed by the fact that he was granted 112 patents in the United States for his inventions, which still represent the foundation of modern technology today.

In the year when we celebrate the 35th anniversary of SIPO and the 170th anniversary of Tesla's birth, we remember Nikola Tesla as a powerful symbol of the innovative spirit and remind ourselves of the enduring importance of the intellectual property protection system in the development of science and technology.

More information about Tesla and patents can be found at:
https://www.dziv.hr/files/file/publikacije/Patenti-Nikole-Tesle-Bit-patentne-za%C5%A1tite-na-primjeru-patenata-Nikole-Tesle.pdf 

Tesla's patents can be found at: https://www.dziv.hr/hr/tesla-patenti/ 

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