Tuesday, January 15th, 2020, marks the celebration of two historical events. The occasion of the international opening of the first Croatian EU Presidency and the founding of the TESLA INNOVATION CENTRE (TIC) in the City of Niagara Falls, NY. In honor of these two outstanding historic achievements by a young Croatian Republic, The Academia Cravatica Institution and the Research and Development Center-Teslopolis, along with the founders of the TIC, and representatives of the City of Niagara Falls, tied a red Croatian tie, as a symbol of innovation, love, and unity, on the Nikola Tesla monument, made by Croatian sculptor Frano Kršinić in 1976. The Tesla Monument was erected on the site of the world’s first hydroelectric plant that same year.
The main intention of the first Tesla Innovation Centre of its kind to be built on U.S. soil and the first in history to denote an official association between American and Croatian institutions is to return Niagara Falls to its heritage, legacy and the spirit of innovation of Nikola Tesla over the next ten years. The Tesla Innovation Centre will launch and implement a series of multidisciplinary projects and activities inspired by Nikola Tesla, and to build his center in the City of Niagara Falls City, the first of its kind in the world.
Tesla’s AC (alternating current) system for the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant, the first of its kind in the world, was set up in 1896, and it ushered in a new era in human civilization development. Tesla’s dream of giving people the energy and power of the Niagara Falls, which he saw as a child on a lithograph in the laboratory of the school he attended in Karlovac and began researching more about the power of these waterfalls at the age of 17, stated, “I was fascinated by a description of Niagara Falls I had perused, and pictured in my imagination a big wheel run by the Falls. I told my uncle that I would go to America and carry out this scheme. Thirty years later, I saw my ideas carried out at Niagara and marveled at the unfathomable mystery of the mind. “
The tie is an original Croatian product and a symbol of love, unity, and innovation, which was created in the 17th century by Croatian women and recognized at the French Court as an extraordinary fashion accessory under the name of the cravat. From France, the cravat went on its journey and development, generating not only one of the most fashionable accessories but also a whole range of symbols of the human desire for the creation, beauty, and refinement of the human being in his pursuit of a free and dignified life. The act of tying the tie of love to the monument of Nikola Tesla is built on one of the most influential legacies of the City of Niagara Falls itself. Niagara Falls has a significant history and moments in the abolition of slavery and the human pursuit of a free and dignified life. Subsequently, Nikola Tesla dedicated his entire life and work, which he selflessly gave to humanity, the freedom and dignity of human life with what he achieved with the realization of the uses of the Hydroelectric Power Plant in Niagara Falls. TESLA INNOVATION CENTRE wants to continue that legacy, above all in the spirit of humanistic paradigms inspired by Tesla, its discoveries and technologies, which in our 21st century, people can experience technological realization!
TIC FOUNDERS and BOARD MEMBERS:
Nicholas A Baio- Co-Managing Director of AIPH Worlds Fair and Expo 2025 & 2026.
Helena Bulaja Madunic – TESLOPOLIS CEO, founder, Tesla Expert, Creative Director, Visionary Leader, and Storytelling Innovator.
JACOB J. FLEMING SR. – Founder and Executive Editor of The Messenger Of Niagara Falls NY, NY. Niagara Falls, NY’s first black-owned and operated newspaper and media outlet.
NIAGARA FALLS CITY REPRESENTATIVE and TIC partnering organization:
Sara Beilein Capen – executive director of the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area and Chairperson of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, which is an alliance of the 49 Congressionally-designated National Heritage Areas throughout the United States.
