Tesla was nominated for the Nobel Prize only once in 1937 but received only one vote because others were credited and awarded for his work. Edison once stated, “Tesla, you do not understand the American sense of humor.” It seems that the “American sense of humor” implies taking credit for others. When Tesla invented something, powerful men took it from him and put their name on it.
Electron Microscope (Tesla 1891) - Winners: 1896 Ernest Ruska, Gerd Binnig, Heinrich Rohrer
X Ray - (Tesla 1894) - Winner: 1895 Wilhelm Röntgen
Cosmic Rays (Tesla 1897) - Winner: 1936 Victor Francis Hess
Radio Transmission (Tesla 1898) - Winners: 1909 Guglielmo Marconi and Karl Ferdinand Braun
These are examples of the Noble Prize winners and the man behind the curtains.
There is a rumor that Nikola Tesla once refused the Prize and the $20 000 that came with it. The Nobel Committee announced that Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were the recipients of the Physics Prize, but the reward didn’t go to them. The details of the twist are not transparent, but there are speculations that Tesla did not want to share his success with his rival Thomas Edison. The only thing that remains clear is that the Nobel Prize never went into Tesla’s hands.