Nikola Tesla created the first practical alternating-current induction motor in 1888.
Tesla’s motor used a rotating magnetic field produced by alternating currents in stationary coils. That field induced currents in the rotor, causing it to turn without electrical connections such as brushes or a commutator. The design was simpler and more durable than many earlier motor arrangements.
Tesla presented his AC motor and related polyphase electrical inventions in the United States in 1888. George Westinghouse acquired rights to Tesla’s patents and helped develop the system for commercial power distribution. The motor became a central part of industrial electrification because it could operate reliably from AC power.
Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction decades earlier, but that discovery is not the same as inventing Tesla’s practical induction motor. Another common mix-up is crediting Westinghouse as the inventor; he commercialized Tesla’s system rather than originating the motor’s core design.