20. Famous Equation
Albert Einstein is one of the most brilliant men to ever live and also the most famous scientist. He completely changed science and physics with his innovative theories and studies, but there are many things about Albert Einstein that aren’t taught in the history books or that can’t be found on Wikipedia. Well, this is where we come in because we have rounded up the top 20 most interesting, yet unknown facts about the famous scientist and we are going to present them today.
E = mc2 is Albert Einstein’s most famous equation that changed theoretical physics forever. However, he wasn’t the first one to propose this equation. Multiple scientists such as Henri Poincare, Oliver Heaviside and Friedrich Hasenorhl have proposed this equation decades before Einstein did.
19. Powerful Brain
The pathologist who was responsible for Einstein’s autopsy stole the scientist’s brain and kept it locked in a jar for two decades! The pathologist wanted to find out what made Einstein so brilliant.
18. Mr. President
A fun fact about the famous scientist is that due to his brilliant mind, he was offered the presidency of Israel. However, politics weren’t Einstein’s calling and the scientist declined the offer and chose to spend his time in the classroom instead.
17. Bounty Hunters
The reason why Einstein decided to leave Germany and move to the US is that the Nazi regime had put a $5,000 bounty on his head. His brilliant mind made him one of the biggest enemies of the Nazi regime.
16. Slow Speaker
Einstein didn’t start talking until he was the age of three-years-old. This is why there is a special term called the “Einstein Syndrome” which is used for brilliant children whose speech is delayed.
15. The Compass
An unknown but fun fact about Einstein is that his love for scientist started at an early age when his father showed him a compass and the scientist was left in awe after seeing that the needle pointed in only one direction. He needed to find the answer behind this “magic”.
14. Abraham
Another interesting fact about Albert Einstein is that his parents initially wanted to name him Abraham. However, they decided to go with Albert instead because they believed that Abraham is “too Jewish” and this might get him trouble with the Nazi regime.
13. Complex Puzzles
Albert Einstein’s parents stated that one of the things that their son loved to do the most when he was young was to complete complex puzzles. Not just that, but he would also erect card structures as high as fourteen stories.
12. The Violin
Just like all other young boys from a middle-class family, Einstein was taught how to play one musical instrument. His favorite instrument was the violin but not just that, the scientist also loved to listen to classical music which helped relax his mind.
11. Magnetic Fields
As previously noted, Einstein was mesmerized by his father’s compass. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that at 16-years-old, he published his first scientific certificate called: “The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields”.
10. Good Humor
One of the most famous nicknames that Einstein had was the “People’s Scientist”. The reason why he was called this way is because he had a great sense of humor and loved to make jokes with everyone he met.
9. Messy Desk
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” said Einstein when asked about why he never organizes the documents on his desk.
8. Great Student
There is a common misconception that Einstein was not a good student. This is only a myth and Einstein was actually a great student who loved to study mathematics and physics only because he was interested in them. Although, he did flunk an entrance test in zoology and botany once and this is where the myth started.
7. Unknown IQ
Even though there are multiple websites that claim Einstein’s IQ was 160, there is no proof of that. The famous scientist never tested his IQ and this is why we will never know just how smart Einstein was.
6. Relaxing Activity
We previously mentioned that Einstein loved to play the violin. A fun fact here is that the scientist played the violin whenever he needed to “refresh” his brain and stop thinking about science.
5. Sailor
One of Einstein’s favorite hobbies was to sail. He owned a boat named “Tinef” which stands for “worthless” in Yiddish. However, the scientist wasn’t a good sailor and he actually never learned how to swim.
4. He Smoked!
Einstein loved to smoke from the pipe and he was even a member of the “Montreal Pipe Smokers Club”. The scientist believed that smoking helped make him calmer and think better.
3. Favorite Scientist
Just like everyone has their favorite athlete or musician, Einstein had his favorite scientist and he was none other than the legendary Galileo Galilei.
2. Remembering Things
One of the things that Einstein was infamous for is the fact that he never wasted any time trying to memorize things that he could find in a book. For example, the scientist never learned his own phone number.
1. The Wrong Equation
As we all know, Einstein’s most famous equation is the one which confirmed the theory of relativity. However, the scientist actually believed that he was wrong and his theory was proved to be true only after the Hubble telescope was launched.