This Tesla Coil in Los Angeles Has Been "Shocking" Visitors for Decades

(Pexels/Killian Eon)

Tesla Coils, invented in 1891 by Nikola Tesla, have amazed people around the world for years. But what if you wanted to see this electric marvel right here in Los Angeles? Turns out, the Griffith Observatory has a Tesla coil that is contained in an alcove inside of the building.

Tesla coils are a type of electrical circuit used to produce high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity. The coil produces bright, lightning-like, sparks of energy that emit an electrical buzzing sound as they hit their target. These types of coils have long been a source of public interest, which has only made them more and more popular.

(Creative Commons/Vahe Martirosyan)

Tesla had originally invented the Tesla coil in an attempt to transmit electricity through the air. Although Tesla may not have seen his idea completely to fruition, this coil uses the electricity generated to light up a neon sign next to the coil, displaying "TESLA COIL"

The Tesla coil in the Griffith Observatory was gifted by Dr. Fredrick Finch Strong, who was a theosophist and physician. Finch Strong was so intrigued by Tesla's description of the coil in 1893 that he built his very own coil. In 1908, Finch Strong published a book on the topic of high-voltage therapy entitled "High Frequency Currents."

(Creative Commons/Vahe Martirosyan)

Finch Strong eventually donated the Tesla coil to the Griffith Observatory, where it has been on display since before the 1940s. Even to this day, tourists flock to the Griffith Observatory in hopes of catching the electric lightning discharges from the coil.