Einstein has changed our scientific understanding of the universe. He also was and remains a tangible figure in the history of science and humanity as a whole. Having gained worldwide fame for his research, culminating in the Nobel Prize in 1922, Einstein found good use of his recently acquired fame. He used his influence on the world stage to advance and fight for global development and unity.
We bring to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about Albert Einstein: biography and stories from the life of the great scientist who changed the world.
10. Einstein was a peacemaker and tolerant person
Einstein was a passionate pacifist. While World War I raged across Europe, many of Einstein’s colleagues put forward “Manifesto of ninety three". This document expressed their unconditional support for the war. Einstein tried to put forward a counter-manifest, but to no avail. Einstein continued to be an ardent ambassador for peace throughout his life.
He understood the political turmoil caused by world hunger. Einstein once remarked: "An empty stomach is not a good political adviser". The physicist has witnessed the effects of poverty. After emigrating from Nazi Germany, Einstein saw how the need for food and basic resources creates instability within the country and can swallow the world in chaos.
He believed in equality. Einstein also put his name along with thousands of others in the petition of Magnus Hirschfeld. This petition was a direct violation of paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code, which prohibited homosexuality in Germany.
9. Always had a sleazy look
During Einstein’s life, they really considered untidyHowever, now his style is rethought and he is called a mod. He did not like to have many things, so he wore the same thing for a long time, even if the clothes began to lose their appearance.
Among the scientific genius's favorite things was his brown leather Levi’s jacket. He first appeared in her photographs around the mid-30s, at the height of his fame.
«This clothing was acquired by Einstein at the time when he became a US citizen in the mid 30s", They say in the company. What can I say, Einstein made excellent advertising for this brand, not wanting it himself.
8. Second wife - his second cousin
Elsa and Albert were cousins: their fathers were cousins. They both spent their childhood together, laying the foundation for strong friendships. As adults, they reunited when Albert moved to Berlin to work.
Elsa lived there with her two daughters. She was recently divorced with her first husband. The two began a romantic relationship, and the rest, as they say, is history.
7. Considered himself a person without a nationality
He did not claim nationality. Einstein was a 20th century man without a country. In other words, he was a self-proclaimed "world citizen". He was a passionate supporter of world government, which is a body capable of transcending nationalist tendencies.
As he wrote in an open letter to the United Nations General Assembly in 1947, he was afraid that institutions such as the UN would become a toothless bureaucracy. He advocated a global, apolitical body that would be taller than all governments.
In addition, he believed that this would expand the powers of the UN over individual nations. This, according to Einstein, would be the surest way to prevent a new world war and the use of newly acquired nuclear weapons.
6. Honorary Doctor of about 20 universities in the world
To become a doctor of science, you must first write and defend a doctoral dissertation (and before that - a candidate). The title of Honorary Doctor is awarded for merits in aggregate and does not require confirmation, so they were given to the great scientist a couple of dozen. Also in 1926, he became an honorary foreign member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
5. One of the founders of modern theoretical physics
If not for the scientific research of Albert Einstein, then perhaps the modern world would be somewhat different. Of course, other scientists would come to the same conclusions and draw the same conclusions, but the personality of the great physicist would not stand behind them. Special and general theories of relativity, quantum theory of heat capacity and photoelectric effect - the world should be grateful to him for this and much more.
4. Could become president of Israel
After atrocities against the Jewish population during the Nazi regime, Einstein became a clear proponent of the creation of a Jewish state. Although he supported the creation of Israel, Einstein did not agree with some of the necessary characteristics of a state, such as a border or a standing army. Therefore, although he would lobby for the support of such a nation, he never lost touch with his pacifist roots.
Einstein was even offered the post of President of Israel in 1952. He refused this opportunitystating: "I am deeply moved by the offer of our State of Israel and immediately saddened that I can’t accept it. ”.
3. The author of more than 300 scientific papers in physics
Einstein was "passionately curious"All his life, and he was also hardworking and brilliant. Despite such an impressive figure - more than 300 works - the most memorable is his special theory of relativitywhich he put forward in 1905.
2. Launched a new scientific revolution in 1905
The theory mentioned above, which "reconciled" Galileo's principle of relativity and the observed constancy of the speed of light, thereby decided one of the largest scientific paradoxes of physics of the 19th century. Now it is the fundamental foundation.
1. Opposed Nazism
Einstein was a refugee from Germany. Adolf Hitler's regime threatened Jewish intellectuals such as Einstein. Because of this, he was one of the 125,000 Germans who immigrated to the United States to avoid persecution between 1933 and 1945.
After World War II, Einstein could not help but notice some depressing similarities between the conversion of German Jews to institutional segregation and racism in America.
Einstein gave up his appearances at prestigious American universities. Instead, he decided to perform at the historic black university of Lincoln in 1946. He is quoted as follows: "Separation of races is not a disease of colored people. This is a disease of white people. And I'm not going to be silent about it". This was a rather controversial and bold statement at the time.
To promote a more free and fair society, Einstein was a supporter of socialism, not capitalism as the dominant social, political and economic ideology.
In his article, “Why Socialism?” Einstein stated: “I am convinced that there is only one way to eliminate this serious evil: the creation of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system that will focus on social goals". Einstein believed that socialism would instill in people a sense of collective responsibility towards each other, "instead of glorifying power and success in our modern society».