Which medal did the Franklin Institute award Tesla in 1894?

The Franklin Institute awarded Tesla the Elliott Cresson Medal in 1894.

The medal recognized Tesla’s work with high-frequency alternating currents. It was one of the leading American honors for technological achievement during the late nineteenth century, when electrical engineering was rapidly becoming a major industrial field.

Tesla’s high-frequency research grew out of his broader AC work. His rotating magnetic field and induction motor had already demonstrated the practical promise of alternating current, while his experiments with resonant circuits, transformers, and electrical discharges opened new paths toward wireless lighting and radio-frequency technology.

The award is easy to confuse with other honors Tesla received. The Franklin Institute later gave him the John Scott Medal in 1934, while the AIEE awarded him the Edison Medal in 1916. The Elliott Cresson Medal was discontinued as a separate award after the Franklin Institute reorganized its prizes in 1998.