March 14, 2022 marks the 143 birthday of one of the most intelligent people to have ever waled the Earth, Albert Einstein.
How he became a rockstar scientist
Initially, the physics community ignored Einstein’s 1905 papers. However, the situation gradually changed after he gained the attention of just one physicist, Max Planck.
Max Planck was perhaps the most influential physicist of his generation.
After Planck’s glowing remarks and experiments confirmed his theories, Einstein began to rise in the academic ranks, lecturing at international conferences like the Solvay Conferences.
From 1913 to 1933, Einstein taught at increasingly prestigious institutions, including the University of Zürich, the University of Prague, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He served as director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institution for Physics from 1913 to 1933 (though its opening was delayed until 1917).
In addition, he pioneered a new scientific discipline known as cosmology. Dynamical expansion and contraction were predicted by his equations. In his effort to stabilize his model of the universe, he reluctantly introduced a cosmological term to counter the prevailing view that the universe was static. As a result of Edwin Hubble’s observations in 1929, Einstein’s earlier observations were proven to be true.
Einstein declared the cosmological constant his “greatest blunder” in 1930 while he visited the Mount Wilson Observatory near Los Angeles.
Data from satellites have recently revealed that the cosmological constant may not be zero but has a more profound impact on matter and energy within the universe than previously thought.
Apparently, according to some cosmologists, Einstein’s “blunder” determines the universe’s destiny.
Physicists who follow in Einstein’s footsteps have won Nobel Prizes for their work. Gravitational waves, predicted by Einstein, received a Nobel Prize in 1993. Scientists who discovered the Bose-Einstein condensate (a brand-new form of matter) were honored with a Nobel Prize in 1995. It is estimated that there are thousands of black holes in the universe today.
New generations of satellites have further checked the cosmology of Einstein. The ultimate aim of Einstein was to create a theory of everything, and physicists are trying to accomplish that goal.
His legacy through his quotes
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” ―
“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” ―
“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” ―
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” ―
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” ―
“You never fail until you stop trying.” ―
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ―
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” ―
“Black holes are where God divided by zero.” ―
“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?” ―
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