I don't know what you're talking about - Tesla was in my school books. Since I was about 13, I knew him as the guy who battled Edison and ultimately had one really excellent idea: Alternating current. This idea changed the world.
I also distinctly remember a picture of him in a high school physics book, standing inside one of his lightning cages.
It's fun to imagine him a suppressed genius, but my opinion (as an electrical engineer) is that he was probably just a kooky guy who took the money he made off his single good idea and spent the rest of his life tinkering with wild ideas. Of course, I'm open to being proved wrong - but I'm not holding my breath.
Who needs schoolbooks when you have this:
At my school there was no mention of him. And I did a bit of research, and it appears that the majority of schools don't mention him. Maybe it's changing though...what year did you go to high school and was it in the USA?
Interesting. Yeah, it was in the USA, I graduated in 2002.
ah, you are a pup! I'm old enough to be your mom........