I am of the opinion that Tesla did not invent radio. I may have missed it, but he claimed (and correctly so) that electromagnetic energy could be transmitted, but he wasn't the first to do this either. Hertz did. Both Marconi and Tesla worked from the proof of "Hertzian" waves existence, as a basis for other ideas.
Marconi actually DID something involving communication, with EM wave generating devices. Having an idea, however clearly expressed, is not the same as inventing something, i.e. reducing it to practice.
On Tesla's ideas of transmitting energy w/o wires .... one needs to consider the energy density necessary to power our modern world's gadgets. Granted there is a lot of "out there" but a KW or two of avg RF power has to get collected to power each home. This seems to require a hefty energy density to distribute energy w/o wires throughout residential communities, to say nothing of the commercial and industrial requirements.
News reports tend to gloss over long term health effects and general safety issues when Tesla's ideas are reviewed. I think Tesla's ideas went nowhere because we didn't then, and probably still don't know how to implement them.
Thus.... Tesla didn't invent practical wireless energy transmission, he invented some astounding gadgets that still wow the bejabbers off most people. The practical system waits to be invented.
Dave Cooper
Created on Wednesday, April 25, 2001 3:02 AM EDT by David Cooper