Contrary to the fact that Tesla was a well-known germophobe, he had a unique fondness for pigeons. When living in New York, he often kept the windows of his hotel room open, so pigeons could visit when they wanted. He also spent hours each week feeding pigeons in the park and took home every injured one so he could nurse them. Tesla once asked a hotel chef to prepare a special mix of seeds for his feathered friends. He found his soul mate in a very special white pigeon and wasn’t afraid to admit falling in love with it. He never married and said: “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.”