Murdoch Mysteries and Science

A Canadian mystery program on tv based their plotline on Nikola Tesla and his invention in Alternating Current electricity and in his testing of telecommunications.

Last evening was the first time I had watched The Murdoch Mysteries. A Canadian program set in 1890s with mystery, romance, science and humour, I was enchanted. Reviews call it “the CSI” of the 19th century, and that didn’t seem to be far off. Maybe more of a cross between CSI and Mythbusters. It was very entertaining and I’m looking forward to next week’s episode.

But what also captured my attention was the historic time in which the show was set. The 1890s seemed to be a wonderful era of progress and invention with new things appearing from the minds of geniuses across the globe. Nikola Tesla, whose work was the basis for the show’s plotline, actually was working on AC electricity, and in 1895, he and George Westinghouse, of the Westinghouse business fame, united to build the first hydro-electric generating plant at Niagara Falls. I had no idea that Tesla was a part of such developments , nor that he had visited Canada.

Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia in 1856. His life’s work was science, physics, mechanical and electrical engineering, and he was known as a genius. He arrived in the United States in 1884, working as a labourer to support himself in his new country. He teamed up with Thomas Edison to work on direct current generators. Tesla later developed a new electrical source, Alternating Current. (This was only one of Tesla’s multiple successes - the list of his important discoveries is as long an arm.)

Two monuments to the great Nikola Tesla were installed at Niagara Falls in 2006 for the 150th anniversary of his birth. One of the magnificent sculptures was made by Canadian artist Les Drysdale of Hamilton, Ontario.

Visit the Tesla Society page.

Visit the Murdoch Mysteries page.