Nikola Tesla

About Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) stands as one of history's most pivotal inventors, recognized by the Pantheon project with an Historical Popularity Index (HPI) Rank of #61. His revolutionary work laid the groundwork for modern electrical systems, most famously through his contributions to the design of the alternating current (AC) electrical system, which remains the global standard for power transmission today.

Despite this profound historical influence, Tesla’s modern internet attention is disproportionate. His 3.3 million Wikipedia views in 2025 mark a significant gap when compared to his historical standing; for example, the HPI ranks him nearly four times higher than Elon Musk (#273), yet Musk commanded 25.2 million views in the same year. This represents an "overattention" gap of approximately +5x in favor of the contemporary figure relative to historical impact, suggesting a contemporary bias in online focus.

Furthermore, the available data indicates a slight decline in current interest, with his 2025 views dropping by 6.8% year-over-year, and his momentum between Q1 and Q3 falling by 17%, suggesting a cooling of recent internet buzz around the inventor.