1879 : Albert Einstein born
On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein is born, the son of a Jewish
electrical engineer in Ulm, Germany. Einstein's theories of special
and general relativity drastically altered man's view of the universe,
and his work in particle and energy theory helped make possible
quantum mechanics and, ultimately, the atomic bomb.
After a childhood in Germany and Italy, Einstein studied physics and
mathematics at the Federal Polytechnic Academy in Zurich, Switzerland.
He became a Swiss citizen and in 1905 was awarded a Ph.D. from the
University of Zýrich while working at the Swiss patent office in Bern.
That year, which historians of Einstein's career call the annus
mirabilis--the "miracle year"--he published five theoretical papers
that were to have a profound effect on the development of modern
physics.
In the first of these, titled "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the
Production and Transformation of Light," Einstein theorized that light
is made up of individual quanta (photons) that demonstrate
particle-like properties while collectively behaving like a wave. The
hypothesis, an important step in the development of quantum theory,
was arrived at through Einstein's examination of the photoelectric
effect, a phenomenon in which some solids emit electrically charged
particles when struck by light. This work would later earn him the
1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.
In the second paper, he devised a new method of counting and
determining the size of the atoms and molecules in a given space, and
in the third he offered a mathematical explanation for the constant
erratic movement of particles suspended in a fluid, known as Brownian
motion. These two papers provided indisputable evidence of the
existence of atoms, which at the time was still disputed by a few
scientists.
Einstein's fourth groundbreaking scientific work of 1905 addressed
what he termed his special theory of relativity. In special
relativity, time and space are not absolute, but relative to the
motion of the observer. Thus, two observers traveling at great speeds
in regard to each other would not necessarily observe simultaneous
events in time at the same moment, nor necessarily agree in their
measurements of space. In Einstein's theory, the speed of light, which
is the limiting speed of any body having mass, is constant in all
frames of reference. In the fifth paper that year, an exploration of
the mathematics of special relativity, Einstein announced that mass
and energy were equivalent and could be calculated with an equation,
E=mc2.
Although the public was not quick to embrace his revolutionary
science, Einstein was welcomed into the circle of Europe's most
eminent physicists and given professorships in Zýrich, Prague, and
Berlin. In 1916, he published "The Foundation of the General Theory of
Relativity," which proposed that gravity, as well as motion, can
affect the intervals of time and of space. According to Einstein,
gravitation is not a force, as Isaac Newton had argued, but a curved
field in the space-time continuum, created by the presence of mass. An
object of very large gravitational mass, such as the sun, would
therefore appear to warp space and time around it, which could be
demonstrated by observing starlight as it skirted the sun on its way
to earth. In 1919, astronomers studying a solar eclipse verified
predictions Einstein made in the general theory of relativity, and he
became an overnight celebrity. Later, other predictions of general
relativity, such as a shift in the orbit of the planet Mercury and the
probable existence of black holes, were confirmed by scientists.
During the next decade, Einstein made continued contributions to
quantum theory and began work on a unified field theory, which he
hoped would encompass quantum mechanics and his own relativity theory
as a grand explanation of the workings of the universe. As a
world-renowned public figure, he became increasingly political, taking
up the cause of Zionism and speaking out against militarism and
rearmament. In his native Germany, this made him an unpopular figure,
and after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in
1933 Einstein renounced his German citizenship and left the country.
He later settled in the United States, where he accepted a post at the
Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He would remain
there for the rest of his life, working on his unified field theory
and relaxing by sailing on a local lake or playing his violin. He
became an American citizen in 1940.
In 1939, despite his lifelong pacifist beliefs, he agreed to write to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt on behalf of a group of scientists who
were concerned with American inaction in the field of atomic-weapons
research. Like the other scientists, he feared sole German possession
of such a weapon. He played no role, however, in the subsequent
Manhattan Project and later deplored the use of atomic bombs against
Japan. After the war, he called for the establishment of a world
government that would control nuclear technology and prevent future
armed conflict.
In 1950, he published his unified field theory, which was quietly
criticized as a failure. A unified explanation of gravitation,
subatomic phenomena, and electromagnetism remains elusive today.
Albert Einstein, one of the most creative minds in human history, died
in Princeton in 1955.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1879 : Albert Einstein born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=6836
1964 : Jack Ruby sentenced to death
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4835
1991 : Birmingham Six released
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4836
#########################################
On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein is born, the son of a Jewish
electrical engineer in Ulm, Germany. Einstein's theories of special
and general relativity drastically altered man's view of the universe,
and his work in particle and energy theory helped make possible
quantum mechanics and, ultimately, the atomic bomb.
After a childhood in Germany and Italy, Einstein studied physics and
mathematics at the Federal Polytechnic Academy in Zurich, Switzerland.
He became a Swiss citizen and in 1905 was awarded a Ph.D. from the
University of Zýrich while working at the Swiss patent office in Bern.
That year, which historians of Einstein's career call the annus
mirabilis--the "miracle year"--he published five theoretical papers
that were to have a profound effect on the development of modern
physics.
In the first of these, titled "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the
Production and Transformation of Light," Einstein theorized that light
is made up of individual quanta (photons) that demonstrate
particle-like properties while collectively behaving like a wave. The
hypothesis, an important step in the development of quantum theory,
was arrived at through Einstein's examination of the photoelectric
effect, a phenomenon in which some solids emit electrically charged
particles when struck by light. This work would later earn him the
1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.
In the second paper, he devised a new method of counting and
determining the size of the atoms and molecules in a given space, and
in the third he offered a mathematical explanation for the constant
erratic movement of particles suspended in a fluid, known as Brownian
motion. These two papers provided indisputable evidence of the
existence of atoms, which at the time was still disputed by a few
scientists.
Einstein's fourth groundbreaking scientific work of 1905 addressed
what he termed his special theory of relativity. In special
relativity, time and space are not absolute, but relative to the
motion of the observer. Thus, two observers traveling at great speeds
in regard to each other would not necessarily observe simultaneous
events in time at the same moment, nor necessarily agree in their
measurements of space. In Einstein's theory, the speed of light, which
is the limiting speed of any body having mass, is constant in all
frames of reference. In the fifth paper that year, an exploration of
the mathematics of special relativity, Einstein announced that mass
and energy were equivalent and could be calculated with an equation,
E=mc2.
Although the public was not quick to embrace his revolutionary
science, Einstein was welcomed into the circle of Europe's most
eminent physicists and given professorships in Zýrich, Prague, and
Berlin. In 1916, he published "The Foundation of the General Theory of
Relativity," which proposed that gravity, as well as motion, can
affect the intervals of time and of space. According to Einstein,
gravitation is not a force, as Isaac Newton had argued, but a curved
field in the space-time continuum, created by the presence of mass. An
object of very large gravitational mass, such as the sun, would
therefore appear to warp space and time around it, which could be
demonstrated by observing starlight as it skirted the sun on its way
to earth. In 1919, astronomers studying a solar eclipse verified
predictions Einstein made in the general theory of relativity, and he
became an overnight celebrity. Later, other predictions of general
relativity, such as a shift in the orbit of the planet Mercury and the
probable existence of black holes, were confirmed by scientists.
During the next decade, Einstein made continued contributions to
quantum theory and began work on a unified field theory, which he
hoped would encompass quantum mechanics and his own relativity theory
as a grand explanation of the workings of the universe. As a
world-renowned public figure, he became increasingly political, taking
up the cause of Zionism and speaking out against militarism and
rearmament. In his native Germany, this made him an unpopular figure,
and after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in
1933 Einstein renounced his German citizenship and left the country.
He later settled in the United States, where he accepted a post at the
Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He would remain
there for the rest of his life, working on his unified field theory
and relaxing by sailing on a local lake or playing his violin. He
became an American citizen in 1940.
In 1939, despite his lifelong pacifist beliefs, he agreed to write to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt on behalf of a group of scientists who
were concerned with American inaction in the field of atomic-weapons
research. Like the other scientists, he feared sole German possession
of such a weapon. He played no role, however, in the subsequent
Manhattan Project and later deplored the use of atomic bombs against
Japan. After the war, he called for the establishment of a world
government that would control nuclear technology and prevent future
armed conflict.
In 1950, he published his unified field theory, which was quietly
criticized as a failure. A unified explanation of gravitation,
subatomic phenomena, and electromagnetism remains elusive today.
Albert Einstein, one of the most creative minds in human history, died
in Princeton in 1955.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1879 : Albert Einstein born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=6836
1964 : Jack Ruby sentenced to death
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4835
1991 : Birmingham Six released
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4836
#########################################
No comments:
Post a Comment