Why Einstein Couldn’t Get a Job for 9 Years

Summary

The script narrates the life of Albert Einstein, from his delayed speech as a child to becoming the most renowned scientist. It details his struggles with the German education system, his journey through academia, and his groundbreaking work in physics, including the photoelectric effect and special relativity. Despite personal challenges and setbacks, Einstein's relentless pursuit of knowledge led to his theory of general relativity and global fame. The script also touches on his later life, his political stances, and his continuous quest for a unified theory of everything until his death.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Einstein's early life was marked by slow speech development, which he later credited for his unique approach to abstract concepts.
• 🎓 Despite excelling in primary and high school, Einstein hated the German education system's emphasis on rote learning and left school to study independently.
• 🇨🇭 After failing his initial college entrance exams, Einstein thrived in the Swiss education system, ultimately enrolling at Zurich Polytechnic.
• 📜 Einstein faced significant challenges finding a job, partly due to a poor recommendation from a professor and anti-Semitic biases.
• ❤️ Einstein's relationship with Mileva Maric was pivotal; she supported his scientific work, but their relationship was strained by external pressures.
• 🔬 While working at the Swiss Patent Office, Einstein published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, revolutionizing physics.
• 🌌 His theory of special relativity introduced the concept of the relativity of simultaneity and the famous equation E=mc^2.
• 🌠 Einstein's theory of general relativity, confirmed by the 1919 solar eclipse, established him as a global scientific icon.
• 🎻 Music was a crucial part of Einstein's life, helping him think through scientific problems and find solace.
• 🇺🇸 Einstein eventually moved to the U.S. due to rising anti-Semitism in Germany, where he became involved in efforts to warn about atomic bomb development.

Q & A

What challenges did Albert Einstein face in his early life?

Albert Einstein faced several challenges in his early life, including a delayed start in speaking, which led his parents to consult a doctor. He also disliked the German education system's emphasis on rote learning and faced a setback when he initially failed to get into college due to not passing the French, literature, zoology, botany, and politics sections of the entrance exam.

How did Einstein's experience at the Swiss education system influence his later work?

Einstein appreciated the Swiss education system's focus on visual learning, which played a key role in fostering his famous thought experiments. This approach to learning allowed him to visualize abstract concepts more effectively.

Why did Einstein initially struggle to find a job after graduating from university?

Einstein struggled to find a job as a teaching assistant because his professor, Heinrich Weber, detested him due to Einstein's disdain for Weber's failure to cover contemporary material and his behavior during practical courses. This led to Einstein being the only student in his cohort without a job offer.

What role did Mileva Maric play in Einstein's life and work?

Mileva Maric was Einstein's fellow classmate and later his wife. She was the only woman in his program and provided significant support to Einstein by double-checking the math in his theories and encouraging him in his scientific pursuits. Einstein expressed his dependence on her for self-confidence and pleasure in his work and life.

What is the significance of Einstein's four papers published in 1905?

Einstein's four papers published in 1905 were groundbreaking and changed our understanding of the universe. They introduced the photoelectric effect, a method to measure molecular dimensions, an explanation for Brownian motion, and the theory of special relativity, which altered our perception of time and space.

What was the photoelectric effect and why was it significant?

The photoelectric effect is the phenomenon where light, considered as a stream of particles called photons, can knock an electron off an atom to create an electric current. This was significant because it contradicted the wave theory of light and laid the foundation for quantum mechanics.

What personal struggles did Einstein face during his career?

Einstein faced personal struggles such as his parents' disapproval of his relationship with Mileva, the mystery surrounding the fate of his first child, Lieserl, and the eventual breakdown of his marriage due to his increasing success and relationship with his cousin Elsa.

How did Einstein's theory of general relativity differ from his special relativity?

While special relativity dealt with objects moving at a constant velocity, general relativity addressed the issue of gravity and acceleration. Einstein proposed that gravity is not a force but a distortion of spacetime caused by mass, which led to the concept of the curvature of spacetime influencing the paths of planets.

What was Einstein's contribution to the development of the atomic bomb?

Although Einstein did not directly participate in the Manhattan Project, his mass-energy equivalence equation, e=mc2, provided the theoretical foundation for the immense energy released in nuclear reactions, which made the development of the atomic bomb possible.

What was Einstein's view on quantum mechanics and his quest for a unified theory?

Einstein believed that quantum mechanics was incomplete because it left aspects of reality to chance and introduced probabilistic principles. He was particularly troubled by quantum entanglement and aspired to discover a comprehensive theory that would explain all phenomena in the universe, which he pursued until his death.

Outlines

00:00

😀 From Patent Clerk to Scientific Icon: Einstein's Early Struggles

Albert Einstein faced many setbacks before becoming a renowned scientist. Despite his early speech delay, which his parents worried about, Einstein believed this allowed him to explore abstract concepts deeply. He excelled in school but disliked the German education system's emphasis on rote learning. Leaving high school early to avoid military service, he initially failed to gain college admission due to poor grades in non-scientific subjects. After a year in Swiss education, he succeeded and joined Zurich Polytechnic. Despite average university grades and conflicts with professors, Einstein persisted, aided by Mileva Maric, who became his partner in both life and scientific endeavors. Their relationship, however, faced family opposition, and Einstein kept their daughter's birth secret. The fate of their daughter Lieserl remains unknown. Struggling to find a job, Einstein eventually became a patent clerk, where he had the freedom to develop his groundbreaking theories.

05:04

📜 The Struggle for Recognition: Einstein’s Early Career Challenges

Einstein faced numerous rejections while seeking academic positions, compounded by anti-Semitism and negative references. His father, Hermann, wrote a heartfelt letter to a prominent professor on his behalf, but to no avail. Einstein turned to tutoring, which offered little stability, until a friend's recommendation secured him a job at the Swiss Patent Office. Here, he thrived, using spare time to develop revolutionary theories. Despite his father's death and a low-paying junior teaching position, Einstein's perseverance eventually led to recognition. His four groundbreaking papers in 1905, covering the photoelectric effect, molecular dimensions, Brownian motion, and special relativity, laid the foundation for modern physics. However, immediate acclaim and academic opportunities remained elusive.

10:06

🌌 Special Relativity and Einstein’s Groundbreaking Papers

Einstein’s work at the patent office allowed him to write four significant papers in 1905, revolutionizing physics. His first paper introduced the photoelectric effect, proposing light as particles, or photons. The second paper measured molecular dimensions, bolstering atomic theory. The third explained Brownian motion, demonstrating the existence of atoms. The fourth, on special relativity, challenged notions of time and space, showing they vary based on reference frames. His famous thought experiment involving a moving train illustrated relativity of simultaneity. Exhausted from his efforts, he continued refining his theories, culminating in the famous equation e=mc², linking mass and energy. Despite these achievements, Einstein struggled to secure an academic position, finding solace in music and family life.

15:10

🚀 From Special to General Relativity: Einstein’s Continued Pursuit

Einstein’s theory of general relativity expanded on special relativity, incorporating gravity and acceleration. He realized that free-fall conditions create weightlessness, leading to the equivalence principle. This principle posits that acceleration and gravity are indistinguishable. Einstein proposed that gravity is a curvature of spacetime caused by mass, altering the paths of objects, including light. This was confirmed during the 1919 solar eclipse, catapulting Einstein to global fame. Despite personal contradictions and political challenges, including his emigration to the U.S. and involvement in warning about atomic bombs, Einstein continued his scientific endeavors. He spent his later years at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, striving to unify all physical laws, despite his skepticism towards quantum mechanics.

20:12

🔍 Einstein's Final Quest and Enduring Legacy

Einstein sought a unified theory of everything, striving to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics. He was troubled by quantum entanglement, which seemed to violate the principles of locality. His pursuit of a comprehensive theory remained unfulfilled at his death in 1955. Despite not believing in a personal god, he saw a divine order in the universe's laws. Einstein's relentless quest for knowledge and his impactful theories inspire continued exploration and understanding of the universe. His story underscores the importance of perseverance and intellectual curiosity. For those eager to learn and explore, platforms like Brilliant offer interactive content in various STEM fields, helping individuals build essential skills and knowledge.

Keywords

💡Patent Clerk

A patent clerk is an individual who works at a patent office, examining applications for new inventions to ensure they meet patentability criteria. In the script, Albert Einstein worked as a patent clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, which provided him ample time to think about and develop his scientific ideas, illustrating the critical role this job played in his journey to becoming a renowned scientist.

💡Photoelectric Effect

The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon where light, when shining on certain materials, can eject electrons from those materials. Einstein's explanation of this effect, suggesting that light is made up of particles called photons, was revolutionary and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics. It's a key concept in the script as it represents one of Einstein's groundbreaking contributions to science.

💡Brownian Motion

Brownian motion refers to the random movement of particles suspended in a fluid, observed by Robert Brown. Einstein's paper on this phenomenon provided evidence for the existence of atoms, as the motion was theorized to be caused by atoms in the fluid. This concept is highlighted in the script as part of Einstein's series of radical papers that changed our understanding of the universe.

💡Special Relativity

Special relativity is a theory introduced by Einstein that addresses the behavior of objects moving at a constant velocity, particularly the relativity of time and space. The script describes Einstein's thought experiment involving a moving train and lightning strikes to illustrate this concept, which is central to understanding his contributions to physics.

💡E=mc²

Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc², posits that energy (E) is equal to mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. This equation, introduced in an addendum to his paper on special relativity, shows the interconvertibility of mass and energy and is a fundamental principle in physics. The script mentions this equation as a cornerstone of Einstein's work and its implications for understanding energy release in nuclear reactions.

💡General Relativity

General relativity is Einstein's theory of gravity, proposing that gravity is not a force but a curvature of spacetime caused by mass. The script explains how this theory was a response to the limitations of special relativity and Newton's theory of gravity, and it was confirmed by observations of a solar eclipse, which solidified Einstein's fame.

💡Quantum Entanglement

Quantum entanglement is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where pairs or groups of particles interact in such a way that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance. The script mentions Einstein's discomfort with this phenomenon, as it seemed to challenge his belief in a deterministic universe.

💡Thought Experiment

A thought experiment is a hypothetical scenario used to explore and clarify the implications of a concept or theory. The script references Einstein's use of thought experiments, such as imagining a train moving past a platform to illustrate the relativity of simultaneity in his theory of special relativity.

💡Pacifist

A pacifist is someone who opposes violence and warfare. The script notes that Einstein was a pacifist, which influenced his decision to leave Germany and avoid compulsory military service, reflecting his personal beliefs and values.

💡Equivalence Principle

The equivalence principle is a concept in physics that states that the effects of acceleration and gravity are indistinguishable. The script describes how Einstein's realization of this principle while sitting in a chair in the patent office led to the development of his theory of general relativity.

💡Unified Theory

A unified theory, or theory of everything, is a hypothetical framework that would reconcile all physical forces and constants into a single, coherent model. The script mentions Einstein's lifelong pursuit of such a theory, which he was still working on until his death, highlighting his relentless quest for understanding the fundamental nature of the universe.

Highlights

Albert Einstein faced numerous setbacks before becoming renowned, including a delayed start in speaking and a dislike for the German education system.

Einstein attributed his genius to his late development in abstract concepts like space and time.

He left high school in Munich at 16 to study independently and avoid military service.

Einstein initially failed to get into college due to poor performance in non-science subjects.

Swiss education's focus on visual learning was instrumental in fostering Einstein's thought experiments.

Einstein's university grades were good but not exceptional, with a preference for physics over mathematics.

He had a contentious relationship with Professor Weber, which affected his job prospects.

Einstein relied heavily on Mileva Maric for support in his scientific endeavors.

Einstein's first child, Lieserl, was born in secrecy, and her fate remains unknown.

Einstein's father wrote a heartfelt letter to a professor on his behalf, seeking encouragement and a job.

Einstein worked as an examiner at the Swiss Patent Office, which allowed him time to develop his theories.

In 1905, Einstein published four groundbreaking papers, including the photoelectric effect and special relativity.

Einstein's theory of special relativity introduced the concept of spacetime and the relativity of simultaneity.

Einstein's fifth 1905 paper introduced the famous equation e=mc2, linking energy and mass.

Despite his significant contributions, Einstein struggled to secure an academic position immediately following his 'miraculous' year.

Einstein's personal life was marked by a troubled marriage and a relationship with his cousin Elsa.

Einstein's general theory of relativity proposed that gravity is a distortion of spacetime caused by mass.

The 1919 solar eclipse confirmed Einstein's prediction that gravity bends light, leading to his worldwide fame.

Einstein's political views included opposition to racism, militarism, and nationalism, but also contained contradictions.

Einstein warned President Roosevelt about the potential for a German atomic bomb, indirectly influencing the Manhattan Project.

Einstein spent his later years at the Institute for Advanced Study, seeking a unified theory of everything.

Einstein's last moments were spent working on equations, reflecting his lifelong dedication to understanding the universe.

Transcripts

How did a patent clerk who  couldn’t get a job teaching

become the most famous scientist of all time?

Albert Einstein faced numerous setbacks throughout  his life before becoming the superstar scientist.

As a child, he was so slow in  learning to talk that his parents,

Hermann and Pauline Einstein, consulted a doctor.

Einstein credited his delayed  development with fostering his genius,

as he approached abstract concepts  like space and time later in life.

In his words: Consequently, I probed more deeply

into the problem than an  ordinary child would have.

Although he finished at the top of his  class in primary school and high school,

he hated the German education system’s emphasis  on mechanical learning: the memorization, drills,

and force-fed facts - and likened his teachers to  lieutenants in the Prussian army. Prussian army

At 16, he decided to leave high  school in Munich to study on his own,

hoping to gain admission to  a teaching college in Zurich.

By leaving Germany and renouncing his citizenship,  he also avoided compulsory military service,

which began at 17, a prospect that  filled the pacifist with dread.

And yet, he faced an early setback:  he failed to get into college!

He passed the science and math sections  of the entrance exam but failed French,

literature, zoology, botany, and politics.

He had to spend a year at a high school  in the village of Aarau, Switzerland.

He appreciated the Swiss education’s  focus on visual learning, which later

played a key role in fostering  his famous thought experiments.

He scored the second highest grades in his  class, and this time, he passed the entrance

exam to enroll at Zurich Polytechnic, in the  specialized math and physics teaching stream.

His grades in university were  good but not spectacular.

On a scale of 1 to 6, 6 being the highest score,  he received mostly 4s in his math courses,

especially in geometry, but faired better  in his physics courses, scoring 5s and 6s….

With the exception of a 1 he received in his  third year Physics practical course for beginners.

Professor Jean Pernet gave him the lowest  possible grade for barely showing up to class.

When he did show up, and Pernet gave him  written instructions for an experiment,

Einstein threw them in the trash because  he wanted to do things his own way.

Although Einstein initially got along  with his other physics professor,

Heinrich Weber, “”mine” wee-burr,” he’d later  express his disdain for Weber's failure to

cover contemporary material, including Maxwell’s  groundbreaking theories on electromagnetism.

Einstein’s behavior would hurt him when he  searched for a job as a teaching assistant.

Professor Weber detested Einstein so  much that when no graduates of the

physics and math departments were  available to become his assistant,

he decided to hire two students from the  engineering division instead of Einstein!

Einstein was the only student in his  cohort who didn’t receive a job offer.

Amidst this setback, he found solace  in the company of a fellow classmate.

Mileva Maric was the only woman in his program.

Despite her plain looks and  a birth-related hip issue

that caused a limp, Einstein  was drawn to Mileva's mind.

Mileva double-checked the math in his famous

theories and encouraged him  in his scientific pursuits.

Einstein expressed his dependence on her this  way, “Without you, I lack self-confidence,

pleasure in my work, pleasure in life - in  short, without you my life is not life.”

However, Einstein’s parents  strongly opposed the relationship.

When he told his mother of  his plan to marry Mileva,

she “threw herself on the bed, buried her  head in the pillow, and wept like a child.”

This added pressure to Einstein's already  challenging task of finding a job,

especially after Mileva became pregnant.

Einstein kept the pregnancy  a secret from his own family.

Their daughter Lieserl was born at  Mileva’s parents’ house in Novi Sad,

Serbia, on January 27, 1902.

An excited Einstein wrote to Mileva: “I love  her so much and don’t even know her yet!”

Yet, Einstein never visited his  daughter. He never laid eyes on her.

What happened to the infant  remains a mystery to this day.

Einstein and Mileva destroyed most  of their letters that mentioned her.

As Walter Isaacson put it in his biography on the  genius, “Einstein and his wife did all they could,

with surprising success, to cover up not only the  fate of their first child but her very existence.”

One possibility is that she was adopted  by Mileva’s close friend, Helene Savic.

We do know that Lieserl contracted  scarlet fever at 19 months old.

Whether she survived remains unclear.

Einstein promised to marry Mileva  as soon as he found a stable job.

He wrote to professors across  Europe seeking an academic post.

He told his friend and classmate Marcel Grossman:

“I leave no stone unturned and do not give up

my sense of humor. God created the  donkey and gave him a thick skin.”

Einstein reached out to Wilhelm Ostwald,  a professor of chemistry in Leipzig,

who would later earn a Nobel Prize,  inquiring if he needed an assistant.

When he heard nothing, he  followed up with another letter,

“I am not sure whether I included my  address” in the earlier correspondence.

Still, no response.

Einstein’s father stepped in  and wrote a heart-wrenching

letter to Ostwald without his son’s knowledge:

Please forgive a father who  is so bold as to turn to you,

esteemed Herr Professor,  in the interest of his son.

…my son Albert is 22 years old…he  passed his diploma examinations in

mathematics and physics with  flying colors last summer.

My son therefore feels profoundly unhappy with his  present lack of position, and his idea that he has

gone off the tracks with his career & is now out  of touch gets more and more entrenched each day…

Since it is you, highly honored Herr Professor,

whom my son seems to admire and esteem more than  any other scholar currently active in physics,

it is you to whom I have taken the liberty of  turning with the humble request…to write him,

if possible, a few words of encouragement, so that  he might recover his joy in living and working.

If, in addition, you could  secure him an Assistant’s

position…my gratitude would know no bounds.

I remain, highly esteemed Herr Professor, your devoted

Hermann Einstein

Despite the moving letter,  there was still no reply.

Einstein felt his failure to  secure a job must have been

due to Professor Weber giving a poor reference.

He also believed that his Jewish  heritage may have played a role

amid the prevalent anti-Semitism of the time.

To make ends meet, he started tutoring  on the side but those jobs were scarce.

Eventually, Einstein gave up  looking for a job in academia.

Two years after graduating,  Einstein finally landed a job

as an examiner at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern,

thanks to a recommendation from his friend  Marcel Grossman, whose father knew the director.

Einstein was grateful for his friend’s  help, writing, “I was deeply moved by

your devotion and compassion, which did  not let you forget your luckless friend.”

Although examining patents seemed far removed from  his scientific pursuits, they had a lot in common.

His boss’ credo was to question everything.

In a similar way, Einstein meticulously  visualized how a scientific theory might

unfold in practice, questioning  its implications and assumptions.

Einstein found that he could get through  a full day’s work in 2 to 3 hours,

leaving the rest of his eight-hour shift six  days a week, to pursue his scientific ideas.

As he confessed, “Whenever anybody would come by,

I would cram my notes into my desk drawer  and pretend to work on my office work.”

The patent office served as  a creative sanctuary for him,

a “worldly cloister where I  hatched my most beautiful ideas.”

Sadly, his father would not live  to see his “beautiful ideas”.

Hermann Einstein would only ever see  his son as a third-class patent clerk,

as he passed away in October 1902.

Hermann did grant permission  for his son to marry Mileva.

They married in a civil  ceremony on January 6, 1903.

Only Einstein’s two close friends from  his informal study group attended;

no family members from either side showed up.

While working as a patent clerk, Einstein came up

with four radical papers that changed  our understanding of the universe.

The first, published in March 1905,  explored the energy properties of light.

While physicists viewed light as a wave,

they struggled to explain how it  could generate an electric current.

Einstein proposed a revolutionary idea: he  suggested that light consisted of a stream

of particles called photons, which could knock  an electron off an atom to create a current.

This insight became known  as the photoelectric effect.

The following month, in April 1905, he  introduced an innovative method to measure the

dimensions of molecules and indirectly provided  compelling evidence for the existence of atoms.

Einstein adopted a cautious approach to this  paper, as it was part of his PhD thesis,

and he had previously struggled  to get his dissertation accepted.

In May, Einstein's third paper addressed a mystery

observed by Scottish botanist  Robert Brown 77 years earlier.

Brown had noticed pollen particles  in water wiggling under a microscope,

later termed Brownian motion.

Scientists were puzzled by what was happening.

Einstein theorized that water is  made up of small atoms that can’t

be seen with a standard microscope,  which caused the particles to jiggle.

His final paper, published in June, was  the most significant among the four.

He introduced his theory of special relativity,

which explored the special cases of  objects moving at a constant velocity.

Central to this theory was the idea that time

and space are perceived differently  depending on one’s reference frame.

To illustrate this concept, Einstein  devised a thought experiment involving

a train moving past a platform.

He imagined a scenario where lightning  strikes both ends of the moving train.

A person standing in the middle of the  platform sees both strikes simultaneously.

However, a passenger inside the moving  train experiences the events differently.

Due to the train moving toward the  lightning strike at the front of the train,

the light from this strike  reaches the passenger first.

As a result, the passenger observes the  front strike before the rear strike,

despite both strikes occurring simultaneously  for the person standing on the platform.

This highlights the relativity of simultaneity:  events may appear simultaneous to one observer

but not to another, depending on  their respective reference frames

Einstein was so exhausted writing this paper  that “his body buckled and he went to bed for

two weeks” while his wife pored over his work and  also helped him solve some mathematical problems.

Einstein actually published a fifth paper in

September 1905, an addendum to his work on  relativity introducing the equation e=mc2.

This equation shows that energy  and mass are interchangeable.

The speed of light is a very large number, and  when you square it, it becomes enormously huge

So a small amount of mass results  in a vast quantity of energy.

If 1 gram of water were  converted into pure energy,

it would be equivalent to the energy  produced by a large nuclear explosion.

Following his “miraculous” year,  one might have expected Einstein

to quickly secure an academic position.

Yet, no offers came his way.

Einstein’s sister recalled: “But  he was bitterly disappointed.

Icy silence followed the publication.” Einstein found solace in playing the violin,

particularly Mozart, which he believed  reflected the elegance of the universe.

Music also helped him think when  faced with scientific challenges

His son Hans Albert said: “Whenever he  felt that he had come to the end of the

road…he would take refuge in music and  that would solve all his difficulties.”

Einstein was so desperate for a teaching  job that he answered an ad for a math and

geometry teacher at a high school in Zurich,  but he failed to make the final three cut.

Although he did manage to secure a junior  teaching position at the University of Bern,

it didn’t pay enough for him to  leave his job at the patent office.

It was nine years after graduating that his  career finally took a turn in the right direction.

In 1909, Alfred Kleiner, the physics  professor at the University of Zurich

who had helped Einstein obtain his PhD,  hired him as an associate professor.

This marked the beginning of a series  of teaching positions in Prague,

back to Zurich, and then in Berlin.

Despite his childhood disdain  for the German education system,

Berlin’s status as the epicenter of  theoretical physics proved irresistible.

The city also personally intrigued Einstein…as  it was where his cousin Elsa lived.

Einstein found himself drawn to Elsa, who  was the complete opposite of his wife:

lacking in scientific inclination, yet  Einstein appreciated her nurturing nature.

As Einstein became increasingly successful,  Mileva became increasingly resentful,

especially because her scientific dreams had  been shattered when she failed her college exams.

She felt that she and their two sons  took a backseat to Einstein’s career.

Elsa pleaded for Einstein to marry her,  which meant he had to divorce his wife.

To incentivize Mileva to divorce him, Einstein  daringly proposed that if she granted him a

divorce and he eventually won the Nobel  Prize, he’d give her the prize money.

She thought for a week and accepted.

Mileva had to wait 17 years  until Einstein was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his  discovery of the photoelectric effect.

Surprisingly, he was not awarded the prize for  his most famous theory, general relativity.

Einstein developed his theory of general  relativity because he recognized that his

special relativity did not account for gravity  as described by Newton's theory, or acceleration.

The realization struck him this way:

“I was sitting in a chair in the patent  office at Bern when all of a sudden a

thought occurred to me. If a person falls  freely, he will not feel his own weight.”

He expanded on this thought by  imagining someone in an elevator.

If the elevator is in free fall, the  person inside would not feel their own

weight because they and the elevator are  accelerating downwards at the same rate.

If the elevator accelerates upward, the person  feels heavier as the floor pushes against their

feet, creating a sensation of increased weight  similar to a stronger gravitational field.

From inside the elevator, it is impossible to tell

whether this sensation is due to the elevator  accelerating upwards or increased gravity.

This made Einstein realize that the  effects of acceleration and gravity

are indistinguishable, known  as the equivalence principle.

He called it "the happiest thought in my life"

So, Einstein proposed that gravity is not merely a

force but rather a distortion  of spacetime caused by mass.

In this framework, planets orbit  the sun not because they are being

'pulled' by the sun's gravity in  the traditional sense. Instead,

they follow paths determined by the  curvature of spacetime around the sun.

General relativity also predicts  that gravity bends light,

altering the apparent position of stars so  that they differ from their actual locations.

This was confirmed during the 1919 solar eclipse  when the moon blocked the sun’s bright light,

allowing astronomers to observe that stars  appeared shifted from their known positions,

exactly as Einstein had predicted.

This confirmation of general relativity  propelled Einstein to worldwide fame.

The world needed something to cheer about  after the brutality of World War One.

Einstein and his electric white  hair toured the U.S. and the world,

with crowds attracted to both  his mind and his humanity.

Einstein very vocally stood against  racism, militarism, and nationalism.

But like all humans, Einstein  could be full of contradictions.

The man who once decried racism as “a  disease of white people” expressed xenophobic

sentiments in private, writing in his travel  diaries that the Chinese were “industrious,

filthy, obtuse people. It would be  a pity if these Chinese supplant all

other races. For the likes of us the  mere thought is unspeakably dreary.”

Despite advocating against militarism, he  proposed the idea of a "world federation"

that should include some form of an  armed force in order to prevent wars.

While denouncing nationalism, Einstein  supported the establishment of a Jewish

state amid the surge of anti-Semitism  in post-World War I Germany.

When the Nazis raided his beloved summer cottage

in Caputh, a village in Brandenburg,  he vowed never to return to Germany.

On October 17, 1933, he immigrated to America,

where he faced a less-than-warm  welcome from authorities.

The FBI compiled 1,427 pages of  documents on him due to concerns

about his connections to various groups  and individuals considered communists.

While the Feds were preoccupied with his  affiliations, Einstein harbored concerns

of a different nature. He was worried that  Germany might possess the capability to build

an atomic bomb, prompting him to sound the  alarm in a letter to President Roosevelt,

urging the U.S. to initiate  its own atomic bomb project.

Although he never directly participated  in the Manhattan Project, Einstein became

associated with the bomb's development  because his equation e=mc2 provided the

theoretical foundation for the immense  energy released in nuclear reactions.

Upon learning that the U.S. dropped  the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima,

Einstein's response was a simple  yet profound “Oh, my God.”

Einstein spent the remainder of  his career at the Institute for

Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. During his time at the prestigious research

institute, he made it his mission to find a theory  that could fully explain how the universe worked.

Despite not believing in a personal  God, Einstein embraced the idea of

a divine order underlying the universe,  reflected in the orderliness of nature.

He believed that quantum mechanics,  while groundbreaking, was incomplete

as it left aspects of reality to chance  and introduced probabilistic principles.

He was particularly troubled by the strange  phenomenon called quantum entanglement,

in which two particles instantaneously influence  each other no matter how far apart they are.

If one photon in a connected pair is observed  to be yellow, the other is instantly determined

to be yellow as well. If one photon is  observed to be red, the other is also red.

The particles could be light-years  apart and still influence each other.

Though, this is a simplified example, in  reality, quantum entanglement deals with

properties like polarization or spin, not colors. Einstein aspired to discover a comprehensive

theory that would explain all  phenomena in the universe.

When a colleague asked him why he  would embark on such a lonely endeavor,

Einstein said it was worth  it, however small his chances.

Even on his deathbed, Einstein  was scribbling away, attempting,

in vain, to find a unified theory of everything.

Just before he died of an  aneurysm at the age of 76,

a nurse heard him blurting out a few words  in German that she couldn’t understand.

Einstein passed away on April 18, 1955.

Beside his bed were 12 pages of equations, this  one is the very last equation he ever wrote, a

testament to his lifelong struggle to  unlock the secrets of the universe.

Einstein's unwavering pursuit of  knowledge inspires us to delve

deeper into the mysteries of the universe. And to

embark on this journey of discovery,  you need the right skills and knowledge.

Well, Brilliant recently launched a ton of  new interactive content in math, science,

data analysis, programming, and  AI, and it’s FREE to try out.

One of my favorite lessons is on how  LLMs, large language models work.

This immersive AI workshop lets  you explore how LLMs generate

text that’s indistinguishable from human writing.

If you’re interested in programming, you  can familiarize yourself with Python and

start building programs on day one  with a built-in drag-and-drop editor.

I really like that Brilliant lets  you play with concepts—it's WAY

more effective than watching lecture videos.

There’s something for everyone  - whether you’re starting out on

your STEM journey or would like to  brush up on what you already know.

You can try Brilliant for FREE for  30 days by clicking my custom link

in the description: brilliant.org/newsthink.

Or scanning the QR code on your screen.

If you sign up with my link or code, you’ll get  a 20% discount on Brilliant’s annual Premium

subscription, which gives you unlimited access  to their thousands of interactive offerings.

Thanks for watching. For Newsthink, I’m Cindy Pom.