I don't know why it is, but I seem to be full of useless information these days. Like today, I'm going to tell you a few weird and generally unknown facts about Albert Einstein. I didn't realize it until recently, but I guess I'm kind of a science nerd. And I do enjoy sharing interesting facts with you so I hope you'll continue to indulge me.
Albert Einstein was a genius, to be sure, but there is a lot more to know about him besides his famous formula E=mc2 (squared). Did you know....
1. Albert Einstein loved to sail. Einstein never learned to swim but was an avid sailor throughout his entire life.
2. Einstein's brain was removed from his body after his death. A pathologist at Princeton Hospital conducted an autopsy on the genius and, at that time, removed his brain to study it more closely. But rather than putting it back before Einstein was cremated, he decided to keep it! Although the pathologist didn't have permission from Einstein to keep his brain, he did manage to convince Einstein's son...several days later...to allow him to keep it, ostensibly for scientific study. Harvey, the pathologist, was later fired from his post at the hospital but refused to give up Einstein's brain. He kept it, cut up into 240 pieces, in two mason jars and carried it around with him for the next 40 years. Finally, it was returned to Princeton Hospital in 1998.
3. Einstein's mother was an accomplished violinist and encouraged her young son to play it, too. Einstein, however, had a different passion; building houses out of playing cards. He once made one that was 14 stories high! When Einstein turned 13, he heard the music of Mozart and that convinced him to learn to play the violin. For nearly 70 years, Einstein played the violin to relax when he got stuck in his thinking process. He also played impromptu recitals and, at Christmastime, was known to accompany the carolers who came to his door.
4. At one point, Einstein was asked to become the second president of Israel. At age 73, he declined the offer.
5. Adding to his disheveled look, Einstein not only went without combing his hair, he also went without wearing socks. It didn't matter to him if he was just going sailing or getting dressed for a formal dinner. His practice was to never ever wear socks. Why? Because they got holes in them and he saw them as unnecessary. After all, shoes did the same thing...protect the feet.
6. Einstein's father showed him a simple compass when he was five years old and sick in bed. The little boy became mesmerized by it. It is noted that the simple little compass is what inspired his life-long love of science.
7. Twenty-one years after he wrote the Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein invented a refrigerator that operated on alcohol gas. The refrigerator was patented in 1926 but never went into production. It is interesting to note that the reason Einstein invented this style of refrigerator is that he read about a family that was poisoned by a sulfur dioxide- emitting fridge!
8. Albert's second wife was his cousin, Elsa (nee Einstein) Loewenthal. How close were they? Pretty close, actually. Elsa was related to Albert on both sides of his family!
How many of those facts were new to you? I knew about half of them, but the other four came as a big surprise to me. Tomorrow is Wednesday and that means a visit by my beloved friend and mentor, the Dharma Frog. Until then, I wish you
Peace.
Albert Einstein was a genius, to be sure, but there is a lot more to know about him besides his famous formula E=mc2 (squared). Did you know....
1. Albert Einstein loved to sail. Einstein never learned to swim but was an avid sailor throughout his entire life.
2. Einstein's brain was removed from his body after his death. A pathologist at Princeton Hospital conducted an autopsy on the genius and, at that time, removed his brain to study it more closely. But rather than putting it back before Einstein was cremated, he decided to keep it! Although the pathologist didn't have permission from Einstein to keep his brain, he did manage to convince Einstein's son...several days later...to allow him to keep it, ostensibly for scientific study. Harvey, the pathologist, was later fired from his post at the hospital but refused to give up Einstein's brain. He kept it, cut up into 240 pieces, in two mason jars and carried it around with him for the next 40 years. Finally, it was returned to Princeton Hospital in 1998.
3. Einstein's mother was an accomplished violinist and encouraged her young son to play it, too. Einstein, however, had a different passion; building houses out of playing cards. He once made one that was 14 stories high! When Einstein turned 13, he heard the music of Mozart and that convinced him to learn to play the violin. For nearly 70 years, Einstein played the violin to relax when he got stuck in his thinking process. He also played impromptu recitals and, at Christmastime, was known to accompany the carolers who came to his door.
4. At one point, Einstein was asked to become the second president of Israel. At age 73, he declined the offer.
5. Adding to his disheveled look, Einstein not only went without combing his hair, he also went without wearing socks. It didn't matter to him if he was just going sailing or getting dressed for a formal dinner. His practice was to never ever wear socks. Why? Because they got holes in them and he saw them as unnecessary. After all, shoes did the same thing...protect the feet.
6. Einstein's father showed him a simple compass when he was five years old and sick in bed. The little boy became mesmerized by it. It is noted that the simple little compass is what inspired his life-long love of science.
7. Twenty-one years after he wrote the Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein invented a refrigerator that operated on alcohol gas. The refrigerator was patented in 1926 but never went into production. It is interesting to note that the reason Einstein invented this style of refrigerator is that he read about a family that was poisoned by a sulfur dioxide- emitting fridge!
8. Albert's second wife was his cousin, Elsa (nee Einstein) Loewenthal. How close were they? Pretty close, actually. Elsa was related to Albert on both sides of his family!
How many of those facts were new to you? I knew about half of them, but the other four came as a big surprise to me. Tomorrow is Wednesday and that means a visit by my beloved friend and mentor, the Dharma Frog. Until then, I wish you
Peace.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "10 Things You Don't Know About Albert Einstein." ThoughtCo, Mar. 16, 2018, thoughtco.com/things-you-dont-know-about-albert-einstein-1779800.
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