Tesla was born
in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia) on July 9, 1856. He studied
engineering at two institutions in Austria-Hungary--Graz Technical University
(now in Austria) and the University of Prague (now in the Czech Republic). Tesla
left the University of Prague in 1880, without a degree, after his father
died. He then worked for a short time
for Austria-Hungary's telephone system in Budapest (now in Hungary). In 1882, Tesla moved to Paris, where he
worked for the Continental Edison Company.