AMCA-Paris (association of former students of Croatian universities, living in Paris), organized a lecture delivered at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Paris, dealing with the schooling of Nikola Tesla in Croatia during his formative years (from his 14th to 17 year). His most important professor from that period is Martin Sekulić, for who Tesla writes to be an ingenious man who enthused him for electricity. On the amusing photo from 1941 we can see Nikola Tesla (on the right, two years before his death) with Croatian-American boxer Fritzie Zivic, then the welter weight champion of the world. This is the only known photo on which Nikola Tesla smiles.
Croatia is the country of origin of Nikola Tesla
Mrs. Lamia Barbier Ruždić, president of the AMCA-Paris Association, introducing Darko Žubrinić, the lecturer.
AMCA (Almae Matris Croaticae Alumni, in Latin) is an association of former students of Croatian universities.
The original photo from 1898 was redrawn in Electrical Experimenter in February, 1919. Nikola Tesla holds a fluorescent bulb wirelessly lighted due to Tesla's coil (invisible on the photo). The coil produces high frequency alternating current of several million Hertz.
Here is Tesla's description of Martin Sekulić, his professor of Physics at the Higher Real School in Rakovac:
I had become intensely interested in electricity under the stimulating influence of my Professor of Physics, who was an ingenious man and often demonstrated the principles by apparatus of his own invention. Among these I recall a device in the shape of a freely rotatable bulb, with tinfoil coatings, which was made to spin rapidly when connected to a static machine. It is impossible for me to convey an adequate idea of the intensity of feeling I experienced in witnessing his exhibitions of these mysterious phenomena. Every impression produced a thousand echoes in my mind. I wanted to know more of this wonderful force; I longed for experiment and investigation and resigned myself to the inevitable with aching heart.
Electrical Experimenter April 1919, p. 865, left column, on the left of the photo
The name of Martin Sekulić has been almost entirely left out in the contemporary literature about Nikola Tesla, and there is hardly any book in which his name is at least mentioned. This represents a grave injustice to Nikola Tesla.
Martin Sekulić in 1868. The epithet of "ingenious person" Tesla provides in his entire autobiography only for his mother and for Martin Sekulić.
Martin Sekulić directed a physical laboratory in the Higher Real School in Rakovac, which was equipped with of as many as 579 instruments! (see Statistika nastave u kraljevini Hrvatskoj i Slavoniji i hrvatsko-slavonskoj Vojnoj krajini školske godine 1871-72., Zagreb 1873.)
Among his basic school subjects in Rakovac, Tesla had Croatian Language (Kroatische Sprache) as his mother tongue.
Mr. Ante Glibota, second from the right, was also among the listeners.
In 1871 (when Tesla was at the age of 15), the Higher Real School in Rakovac added the seventh grade, by interpolating an additional grade between three lower and three higher grades. For this reason, Nikola Tesla skipped the fifth grade, and jumped from the fourth grade immediately to the sixth grade.
All the school subjects apearing in the Yearbook of the Imperial and Royal Higher Real School in Rakovac (Godišnje izvješće Carske i kraljevske velike realke u Rakovcu) for the period of 1872-1874, are described not only in German, but also in Croatian language.
Let us see the content of the subject Croatian Language in Tesla's school in Rakovac (three hours weekly):
Description of the school subject hrvatski jezik (Croatian language), which young Nikola Tesla had in the VIth grade of the Imperial and Royal Higher Real School in Rakovac (Carska i kraljevska velika realka u Rakovcu). The source is Yearbook (Godišnje izvješće) of the Higher Real School in Rakovac for 1872-1874.
The description of this school subject is provided parallelly in German (see above) and Croatian (see below) languages. Croatian language. More on our contemporary literature. Continuation of the big reading book no. 2, obligatory for gymnasiums. Basics of poetics. Written exercises and homeworks as required. 3 hours weekly.
Let us see the school subject called prirodoslovje (i.e., Physics; four school hours weekly):
Description of the school subject prirodoslovje (i.e., Physics), which Nikola Tesla had in the VIth grade of the Imperial and Royal Higher Real School in Rakovac. The source is, as before, Yearbook of the Higher Real School in Rakovac for 1872-1874.
The description of this school subject is provided parallelly in German (see above) and Croatian (see below) languages.munjina = electricity
Physics. Heat, electricity and magnetism. Static of solids and liquids, based on experiments and on popular mathematics.
Let us also see mathematika, i.e., Mathematics (five school hours weekly):
Description of the school subject mathematika (Mathematics), which Nikola Tesla had during the VIth grade of the Imperial and Royal Higher School in Rakovac. The source is, as before, Yearbook (Godišnje izvješće) of the Higher Real School in Rakovac (Velike realke u Rakovcu) for 1872-1874.
The description of this school subject is provided parallelly in German (see above) and Croatian (see below) languages.Mathematics. Continued fractions, Diophant equations, equations of higher order, progressions, convergence and divergence, combinations, binomial theorem. Stereometry, basics of spherical trigonometry. 5 hours weekly.
In time when Nikola Tesla was a secondary school student at the Higher Real School in Rakovac (at the age of 14-17), there was an elective school subject called pjevanje (gesang), i.e. Singing:
As we can see, it is expressly mentioned that the songs will be sung in Croatian language, as well as in German.
The above information about singing can be found in the Yearbook (Godišnje izvješće) published in Zagreb (Agram) in 1871/1872.
As we see in the first two lines of the above document, the working languages at the Imperial and Royal Higher School in Rakovac were Croatian and German (p. 59). These data can be seen on pp. 58-61 of the following publication:The above data appear in the following source: Statistika nastave u kraljevini Hrvatskoj i Slavoniji i hrvatsko-slavonskoj Vojnoj krajini školske godine 1871-72. (Statistics of Teaching in the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia in Croatian-Slavonian Military Frontier in the School Year 1871-72), Zagreb 1873. Published by the courtesy of Croatian School Museum u Zagreb, which is the owner of this publication.
A group of members of the AMCA-Paris Association with H.E. Mr. Filip Vučak and his wife in the middle. The second and fourth from the left are
Mr. Damir Perinić (former president of AMCA-Paris) and Mrs. Lamia Barbier Ruždić (the current president of AMCA-Paris).
On the right to her (and on the left of D.Ž.) is Dr. Vita Ilakovac-Casses.
Fritzie Zivic, Croatian-American boxer, world champion in welter category, 1940 and 1941, on the title page of The Ring.Nikola Tesla in 1941, with American boxer Fritzie Zivic (The Croat Comet) and with his brothers: Joe Zivic, Fritzie Zivic, Nikola Tesla, Jack Zivic, Pete Zivic, and Eddie Zivic. Source: photo archive of Pittsuburgh Post-Gazette. There are at least two more persons at the table, noticeable in the mirror behind Tesla. The last person could be Charles F. Scott (1864-1944), Tesla's assistent. This is one of the rare photos where Tesla smiles. This has been noticed by Mr. Mario Filipi, many thanks to him. This very nice and amusing photo has been shot in 1941, just two years before Tesla's death. Nikola Tesla in good spirits with three of the Zivic brothers: Eddie, Pete and Fritzie. Source.
