Tesla Statue: Canadian Side
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Nikola Tesla is the only mad scientist with statues on both sides of Niagara Falls. Like so many other difficult truths at this border town, the Canadian statue is better than the American statue. Created by Canadian Les Drysdale, unveiled in 2006 on what would have been Tesla's 150th birthday, it stands on the exact spot where a photograph had been taken of Horseshoe Falls that Tesla later said inspired him to invent hydroelectric power. Bronze Tesla stands atop a giant AC motor (which he also invented) and looks like a movie star in a dapper tuxedo, long overcoat, and top hat. The statue captures him at the moment he supposedly invented alternating current by scratching a diagram into the dirt with the tip of his cane.