From the Antikythera Mechanism to Tesla’s so-called earthquake machine, history is full of inventions that vanished too soon.

Nikola Tesla claimed he created a device so powerful it could bring down buildings with vibration alone. Then he destroyed it. Was it real—or too dangerous to survive?

Tesla Inc TSLA said on Tuesday that its Superchargers in the Hokuriku area of Japan will be available free of charge for a week, following the devastating earthquake on New Year’s Day. What Happened: ...