7 (More) Fun Facts That Are Total Lies Nikola Tesla was many things: a pool hustler, a gambling addict, a eugenicist, and a legendary genius. But despite what you may have seen recently in the miscaptioned photo above, Nikola Tesla was never a swimming instructor. The photo is actually from 1898. And while the photo does bear a resemblance to the genius inventor, it's almost certainly not him.
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