The Einstein Almanac

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 2005 by Gerald F. Kreyche

THE EINSTEIN ALMANAC

BY ALICE CALAPRICE THE JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS 2005, 176 PAGES, $24.95

Do not let the title scare you away from picking up this book. It is a virtual treasure of biographical and historical facts, centering around the life, times, and work of Albert Einstein. This genius was involved in numerous projects and causes, and his human side is revealed as well as his contributions to theoretical physics. He played the piano and violin, sometimes giving fund-raising concerts with the latter talent. In later life, he often walked the streets of Princeton, N.J., eating an ice cream cone, petting dogs, and conversing with the citizenry.

Einstein published over 600 papers, some of which were purely scientific while others were in support of various causes, such as pacifism, Zionism, and human rights. He was involved politically with the notion of the U.S. building an atom bomb and wrote several letters to Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt urging work on nuclear fission, for fear that Germany might beat our country with an atomic device. With Robert J. Oppenheimer, he opposed the hydrogen bomb, which Hungarian-born Edward Teller pushed to completion.

Surprisingly, Einstein could not get security clearance for work on the nuclear device which was set off at White Sands, N.M. The FBI was concerned about his views on socialism as well as with his acquaintance with so many scientists from around the world. However, he did work on explosives under a contract with the Navy. For his services, he was paid the generous sum of $25 per day!

Born in Ulm, Germany, on March 14, 1877, his family moved to Munich the following year. In 1885, he entered a Catholic school as the sole Jewish student. Einstein himself never believed in Judaism, but felt religion helped keep people civilized. Next, his family moved to Italy, leaving the young Einstein behind to complete his education. Homesick, he quit school to return to his family. His teachers regarded him as sharp-tongued, arrogant, and cocky; maintaining he never would amount to anything.

From Italy, the family moved to Switzerland. Einstein eventually studied at the Federal Polytech School, graduating in 1900. He took a job in the Swiss Patent Office, checking out patents having to do with electricity. He also did some part-time teaching. Apparently, he was no great shakes

as a teacher, but had a winning and charming personality.

His first technical paper was published at age 21 and, by 1905, he was regarded as the world's leading physicist. He dated a Hungarian, Milena Maric, who had scientific interests but returned to her homeland to have their baby girl. The infant never had a registration and Einstein never met his child. When Milena returned, she and Einstein married before she subsequently gave birth to a son.

The genius scientist had a wide variety of friends and acquaintances, among them the King and Queen of Belgium. Einstein collaborated with Sigmund Freud on a paper entitled, "Why War?" He admired Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer and had regular home discussion sessions with leading scientists. As with many in that field, his most original work was done before the age of 30. After that, many of his papers had collaborators. During World War II, he raised nearly $11,000,000 for war bonds by transcribing his Theory of Relativity by hand and putting it on the auction block.

This is a precious book that Alice Calaprice has given readers. Well qualified, she has penned several other works on the great physicist. She has organized it nicely, giving brief statements of 300 of Einstein's papers and noting major events that occurred in each of those years. Some were advances in science, such as the invention of radioactive carbon 14 dating, the cyclotron, the Wilson Cloud Chamber, nuclear fission, etc. Other events, such as the opening of the Panama Canal and completion of the Golden Gate Bridge also are included. A fine bibliography and index accompanies the work, as well as myriad pictures throughout the text.

The author sure knows her stuff!