The Oatmeal hits Tesla museum target in one week

Geeks of the world rejoice! The Oatmeal has helped a non-profit raise the funds it needs to buy land for a Tesla museum on Long Island, New York less than a week after putting out the call for donations.

According to Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman, an anonymous donor put US$33 000 forward to push the campaign past US$875 000:

Wow, someone just donated $33,000 at the last minute and put us over our goal!$873,169 REACHED!

— Matthew Inman (@Oatmeal) August 21, 2012

The aim of the project is to build a Tesla Museum on the site of Wardencliffe Tower. The site was intended as an early wireless transmission tower designed by Tesla and intended for commercial trans-Atlantic wireless telephony, broadcasting, and to demonstrate the transmission of power without interconnecting wires. Yep that’s right uninitiated Tesla fans, the man wanted to wirelessly transmit power nearly a century ago.

Unfortunately when funding for the project ran dry in 1917, the tower was knocked down and the land sold to a photographic film manufacturer. The, land, the lab under the tower and its foundations however are still there and it’s these that Inman is trying help save.

The funds raised by The Oatmeal mean that the non-profit aiming to build the museum can bid for the site, which has been valued at US$1.6-million. Here’s hoping the geeks win out.