Nikola Lonchar
Nikola Lonchar | |
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| Born | November 24, 1954 |
| Residence | Philadelphia, PA, United States |
| Nationality | Serbian-American |
| Known for | Founder and president of the Tesla Science Foundation |
Nikola Lonchar (born November 24, 1954) is a Serbian-American inventor and organizer who is the founder and president of the Tesla Science Foundation, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the life, legacy, and scientific work of Nikola Tesla.
Biography
Lonchar spent his childhood from the age of six in Zemun, a district of Belgrade, Serbia. His lifelong interest in Nikola Tesla began after a childhood visit to the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, and was encouraged by a neighbor, the wrestler Djuro Gostovic, who had been a personal friend of Tesla. As a young reader he studied works about the inventor, including John J. O'Neill's biography Prodigal Genius.
Lonchar later emigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in 1986 he established a security company. He became a licensed private investigator in 2001, work that he has described as supporting his ongoing research into Tesla's legacy.
Work
As an inventor, Lonchar holds a number of patents, including a locking device designed for burglary detection.
On July 10, 2004, Lonchar founded the Nikola Tesla Inventors Club in Philadelphia as a club for inventors. The organization was incorporated as the Tesla Science Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, on January 7, 2010. Through the foundation, Lonchar has organized annual conferences, monthly lectures, and public celebrations aimed at spreading awareness of Tesla's achievements.
Initiatives associated with Lonchar and the foundation include the "In the Spirit of Tesla" international conference held annually since 2012, the "Tesla Days" (Tesla Night) celebration in Philadelphia begun in 2013, the "Diaspora Day" conference launched in 2016, the "Tesla Ways" geo-guide project, "Tesla Science Clubs" in schools and universities, and the TeslaTalk.TV webinar platform.
Honors
Lonchar has been recognized with the Gold Medal of Nikola Tesla, which he has described as his most valued honor. His projects have also received a Ben Franklin Technology Center grant, a grant from the State of Pennsylvania, and an American Paradigm Schools award.