Nikola Tesla
lorenetworking
The engineer whose alternating-current systems and 1891 resonant transformer made high frequency and high voltage into tools rather than curiosities.
Direct current loses too much over distance to serve a city, and alternating current can be transformed up for transmission and down for use - which is why the grid every data centre draws from is his design rather than his rival's. The resonant coil matters here for a second reason: producing and tuning high-frequency oscillation is the same problem radio had to solve, and the work fed straight into it. He is also the clearest case on this timeline of reputation and reward diverging completely from contribution.
Also known as: tesla, tesla coil, alternating current