Why was Nicoli Teslar not recognised as one of the greats?

I assume you were refering to Nicoli Tesla. Indeed he was great man. I read a book about him several years ago. It was he that invented alternating current. The credit usually goes to george westinghouse, and he does indeed deserve partial credit-he financed Mr. Tesla.

Tesla invented many things that are in use today. Of course A.C. was the big one. There are other reasons why tesla is not so famous. His main rival was Tom Edison. Tom Edison was also a inventor (duh) and his idea of using D.C. was the one to beat. Tesla's A.C. was superior and edison knew it, but Edison had a huge ego and did stunts trying to show that A.C. was dangerous. Basicaly he electrocuted animals on stage. If you look hard on the internet you will find a very old video of edison electrocuting an elephant to death.

What it all boils down to is Westinghouse and Edison hating each other and that is what the public saw, and poor old tesla was just plain forgotten about.

TESLA, buddy!

Maybe he won't be recognized as a great because people can't spell his name right!

EDIT: Aren't we defensive? Obviously the irony in your question escapes you! You're asking why a man whose name you can't even spell right isn't recognized as a genius.

As for an answer to your question - I recall something about copyright or patent fights with Edison or Westinghouse. Actaully, Tesla's (the band) Mechanical Resonance album had a big long story in it about how Tesla (the man) was ignored while other, lesser inventors were hailed. I haven't read it in quite a while.

As far as the name-calling, is it really called for?

Because all us greats simply cannot be recognized. Look at how many people weren't famous until well after they died. Imagine how many more were never recognised at all. The important part is to do the work...not to necessarily get "recognised" for it. If you are making a difference in your world, some people will notice you, and that is what is important.