For those of you at home not keeping score, today marks the 127th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth.
I’ve long held Einstein as a personal hero of mine. It helps that we share the same birthday. But more importantly I respect him for how he revolutionized science, held strong pacifist beliefs, balanced his scientific work with his religious beliefs, and he was a vegetarian on top of all that.
I wish I could say I have thoroughly immersed myself in learning about Einstein and his life, and hence can completely justify my putting him on a pedestal. My reading about him has been limited to two books, neither giving true biographical insight into his life. Possessing Genius: The True Account of the Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein’s Brain (Paperback) is neat because it was written by a Canadian and covers such an interesting but little no fact, that Einstein’s brain was removed from his body before he was cremated. The other book is Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams. This is more of a thought experiment on what Einstein’s thought experiments that led him to relativity might have been about. This little book has made for some good bed time reading and of course, thought experiments.
I was enthralled by the Einstein exhibit at the Field Museum in late 2003 (the link goes to information on the American Museum of Natural History web site). On a sillier note, I watched the movie I.Q. some years back and as sweet as it is to have Einstein depicted by Walter Mathau, it didn’t give me a whole lot of insight into Einstein’s life.
Needless to say I have plenty of more reading and exploring I’d like to do to learn more about Einstein and his contributions. Then maybe we’ll revisit this topic with more thoughts on why he should be on the pedestal I’ve put him on.
For now, happy birthday, Albert Einstein. Sharing the same birthday as you reminds me I have lot to live up to if I want to have an impact on this world.
