The Inventor Web Quest: Temple Grandin And Nikola Tesla By: Henry Rosen

Early Life And Education Of Temple Grandin Mary Temple Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 29, 1947. She was diagnosed with autism at age 2 and started speaking at age 4. In 1966 Grandin graduated from Hampshire Country School in Rindge, New Hampshire. In 1970 she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College. Grandin then earned her master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University in 1975. She then earned her doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989.

The “Hug Machine” The hug machine or squeeze-box is a big device for children who have autism. It was invented by Temple Grandin in 1965. The squeeze-box has two big boards with padding on them formed in a V shape. There is a control box with big heavy-duty tubes connected to an air compressor. The user lays down or kneels in it for as long or as short as they want to. It might seem weird to us, but autistic children like the compression.

Interesting Facts About Temple Grandin Temple Grandin is a leader in both the animal welfare and the autism advocacy movements. “I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we’ve got to do it right. We’ve got to give those animals a decent life, and we’ve got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect.” -Temple Grandin

Early Life And Education Of Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (modern day Croatia). In 1861, Tesla attended the “Lower” or “Primary” school in Smiljan where he studied German, arithmetic and religion. In 1862 Tesla moved to Gospic, Austrian Empire. Nikola then completed “Lower” or “Primary” school followed by the “Real Gymnasium” or “Normal School”. In 1870, Tesla moved to Karlovac, Croatia who attended the school at Higher Real Gymnasium, who was influenced by a math teacher. Tesla was able to perform integral calculus in his head, which made teachers believe he was cheating.

The Tesla Coil The Tesla coil was invented around 1891. It is a machine that can generate lightning bolts using alternating current or AC for short. The Tesla coil today is used for entertainment and educational displays.

Working With Edison In June 1884, Tesla moved to New York City. During the trip someone stole his ticket, luggage and money. He arrived with only four cents, a letter of recommendation, a few poems and the remainders of his belongings. He then started working with Thomas Edison. In 1885, Tesla claimed he could redesign Edison’s DC (direct current) generators. Edison said that if Tesla could fix all of his machines, he would pay Tesla 50,000 US dollars. After months of work Tesla came back to only find out that Edison was joking about the 50,000 US dollars. “Tesla, you don’t understand our American humor.”

Interesting Facts About Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla was an amazing inventor. He could speak 8 languages. Tesla could memorize whole books. Tesla also had OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was obsessed with the number 3 and often before he went to bed had to walk around a city block 3 times. Tesla died on January 7, 1943 in a NYC hospital.

Special Thanks! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hug_machine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla