The Tesla Memorial Society of New York, with the blessing of His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Eastern America, initated the Proclamation of "Tesla Day of Science" on July 10th (Tesla's birthday) in the Republic of Srpska.

November 10 is the World Science Day established by UNESCO.

In Serbia, World Science Day was observed in 2011. The same year, in addition to that day, which the Republic of Serbia observes as a member of UNESCO, the Government established the National Science Day on July 10, the day when Nikola Tesla was born.

Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in the village of Smiljan, in the Austrian Empire, ruled by Franz Joseph I. Tesla was born to a Serbian family: mother Georgina - Djuka, née Mandic and father Milutin Tesla, an Eastern Orthodox Priest.

The first memorial service following World War II for Nikola Tesla were held at the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Belgrade on January 23, 2006. The memorial was
organized at the suggestion of His Grace, then Hieromonk Irinej, Consultant to the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church for Interfaith and International Affairs, presently Bishop of Eastern America, and Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, President of Tesla Memorial Society in New York.

As Tesla's cremation was not in accordance with his wishes, but rather with those of his nephew and heir Sava Kosanovic, this made it possible for the memorial service to be performed then and ever since.

We shouldn't forget the fact that the King of Montenegro Nikola I decorated Tesla with the Order of Prince Danilo, 1st Class, in 1895. The decoration came right after the announcement that the first electric plant in Niagara Falls was completed based on Tesla's patents. Numerous newspapers and scientific journals congratulated Tesla because 9 out of 12 patents that made the power plant work were his.

Our next step is for Tesla's birthday to become an International Holiday of Nikola Tesla.

We would like to remind you that in 2002, the Tesla Memorial Society of New York, together with its sister organization from Australia (Tesla Forum), started an action to
declare the International Day of Nikola Tesla, which should be a holiday of the progress of humanity among all nations of the world.

For this to happen, the Government of Serbia and/or the Government of Montenegro and/or the Government of Republika Srpska would have to send an official proposal to the United Nations to vote in their General Assembly, as the former UN Secretary- General Kofi Anan suggested earlier.

One need not mention what proclaiming an international holiday on Tesla's birthday would mean for the image of the Serbs in the world. The respect we would gain as the people that gave to the world such a large number of scientists would be important today as well as in the future in all countries where Serbs live.

Source: Tesla Memorial Society of New York