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One of the greatest heroes of American(and
international) science and culture in the past century has been German physicist
Albert Einstein. Born in 1879, Einstein used his early years to educate himself
and began to think up his own methods for solving his newly found inquiries
into science and higher-level mathematics. In a short time during the beginning
of the twentieth century, Einstein pulled together his research and incredible
intellect for unprecedented gains in science and theory used throughout the
world. One need not go far to view the incredible impact that innovative genius
Albert Einstein has had upon the twentieth century. His impact stretches far
beyond the reaches of physics and life in the early 1900\'s. This physicist of
phenomenal philosophy, logic, and imagination has been and still is the subject
of countless catch phrases and expressions of intelligence. Albert Einstein is
a forerunner of influential American icons. Because of his contribution to
American science and society as an immigrant, intellectual accomplishments, and
discoveries in nuclear technology, it is my belief that Albert Einstein was the
most influential person of the twentieth century.
First of all, Albert Einstein was the most important figure of the twentieth
century because of his contribution to American science and society as an
immigrant. This is foremost important because of the U.S.\'s status as the
premier nation of the world. Albert Einstein has had one of the greatest ever
influences upon the American way of life. He is responsible for many of the
most famous scientific and philosophical standards used in America today. He
was born in Germany in 1879, but Albert did not come to America until 1933,
when he feared for his life and fled from Nazi Germany. It was at this time
that he was at his greatest fame.(PBS 1) He then began his work for the United
States. His discoveries have impacted all facets of American culture. The
sophisticated Special Theory of Relativity in physics that he created models
the behavior of the entire universe. As stated on Nova, General Relativity has
spawned the most important results in modern astronomy.(Levenson 4)
Perhaps his largest contribution to America, Albert Einstein played a role in
preserving American power. Einstein provided the biggest contribution to
American science, setting most precedents for scientific study and standards.
He evoked theories then thought radical and was then able to prove them and
have since been followed. Albert Einstein catapulted into a revolution for U.S.
defense as well as higher intellectual thought and goal-setting. After all,
there have been many revolutions in the vast field of science, but that of
Einstein has become the most famous. Albert Einstein\'s work was vastly
important Sadly, his revolution has been taken for granted by this generation.
Einstein was a visionary, a new mind that saw through the limitations of his
day. Without Albert Einstein\'s research into motion and relativity theory,
there would be no quantum theory or MRI for medical research. Einstein\'s reach
extends through every fiber of American independence and ingenuity. Albert
Einstein epitomizes even today the cutting edge of technology. As \"Genius
Among Geniuses\" states, \"From 1905 to 1925, Einstein transformed
humankind\'s understanding of nature on every scale…Now, nearly a century after
he began to make his mark, we are still exploring Einstein\'s universe. The
problems he could not solve remain the ones that define the cutting edge, the
most tantalizing and compelling.\"(Levenson 5)
In addition, Albert Einstein was so important because of his intellectual
accomplishments. He is considered by most to be an incredible genius. Einstein
had a knack for inventive ideas. Imagination thrilled him more so than science.
Of this matter, Albert said,
\"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the
conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for
absorbing positive knowledge…I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my
imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is
limited. Imagination encircles the world.\"(Knowledge… 1)
Einstein leapt into the vast expanses of physics and accomplished more in that
short period of time than had ever been discovered before. While trying to hold
down a job at the patent office, he was busy working on physics on his own. He
developed his extremely famous Special Theory of Relativity(which states that
measurements of time and distance vary systematically as one object moves
relative to another), proving Newton wrong. In March, Einstein creates the
quantum theory of light, followed by two papers in April and May on atom size
and motion(proving that atoms exist), and then completes \"Special
Relativity\" in June.(Levenson) Amazing, but that\'s not all. This
incredible outbreak of study is compounded by the daddy of them all. Yes, the
world-renowned \"E=MC2\", the most famous relationship in science. So
many amazing discoveries, and the magnitude of any of them would be astounding
for someone in any field. All of this sprang forth from the mind of Einstein in
one year! It is best phrased by PBS associate Thomas Levenson: In sum-an
amazing outburst: Einstein\'s 1905 still evokes awe. Historians call it annus
mirabilis, the miracle year. Einstein ranges from the smallest scale to the
largest (for special relativity is embodied in all motion throughout the
universe),through fundamental problems about the nature of energy, matter,
motion, time, and space-all the while putting in forty hours a week at the
patent office. Well said. But, the best had yet to appear. After achieving a
lifetime\'s work in 1905, Einstein achieved what Thomas Levenson calls \'a
twenty year run at the cutting edge of physics.\' \"For all the miracles
of his miracle year, his best work is(was) still to come.\" In 1907, he
taught that gravity and acceleration are equivalent. He began to solve the
central problems in all of physics in 1911, followed by developing his theories
of relativity through the twenties, searching through quantum mechanics for
some years, and then developing more theories about dimensions of the
universe.(Levenson 4-5) Some of the most influential work of the century,
1915\'s General Theory of Relativity had taken eight years to complete and was
quite a feat. This theory and the accompanying ideas that he proved come close
to encompassing the vastness of Einstein\'s mind. Just think about how
revolutionary his ideas were. Albert himself said, \"Physical Objects are
not in space, but these objects are spacially extended. In this way the concept
of \"empty space\" loses its meaning.\"(Relativity, vi) This
theory was deep! While formulating in 1915, Einstein took his mind to the edge.
He wrote a letter telling about his discovery. \"This month,\" he
wrote to physicist Arnold Sommerfield, \"I have lived through the most
exacting period of my life...and the most fruitful.\" Sommerfield was not
immediately impressed, a fact which induced Einstein to send him a postcard:
\"You will become convinced of the General Theory of Relativity as soon as
you have studied it. Therefore I will not utter a word in its defense.\"(Clark,
252) Nor was it needed. This principle, which took so long to perfect, was
completed in 1915 and states that all matter and energy in the universe mold
the shape of space and the flow of time. Its a little deeper than that, but
Einstein explains it well in his book Relativity. Although not initially
recognized as so, Albert Einstein was perhaps the most intelligent human ever.
Finally, Albert Einstein was extremely influential in the research toward
America\'s (as well as the world\'s)nuclear technology, demonstrating his
ability as the most influential person of the twentieth century. The
aforementioned E=MC2 proved that energy and matter are linked. At first, even
Einstein did not understand what he had, but even then he suggests that the
heat produced by the element radium could mark the conversion of tiny amounts
into energy. (Levenson) This led to the work toward the infamous atomic bomb,
making Einstein the father of the most famous weapon in history. Because of his
studies and his efforts to make President Roosevelt aware of the potential
crisis at hand, Albert Einstein has helped to put America in place as perhaps
the greatest and most powerful nation in the world. He is credited with the
development of the most powerful energy supply ever. Although most notable,
Albert himself was not that pleased with the work on the atomic bomb. He took
full responsibility for the creation of the effort toward it but absolutely
despised the fact that harm could arise. Regardless, Einstein stated,
\"The discovery of nuclear chain reactions need not bring about the
destruction of mankind than did the discovery of matches. We only must do
everything in our power to safeguard against its abuse.\"(War/A-Bomb 1)
Over a short period of time, Einstein wrote four letters to president Franklin
D. Roosevelt regarding the use of atomic energy. The first in this series
launched the arms race. It was a warning to president Roosevelt of the
possibility of the German government constructing powerful new bombs.
Nevertheless, Einstein took full responsibility for its consequences, calling
it \"the greatest mistake\" of his life.(Elert 1) In his letters to
the president, Einstein and his associates wrote out exactly what were the best
interests to pursue. Einstein did not want war, he simply thought that his only
recourse was to notify the U.S. government of the possibility of producing
chain reactions of nuclear energy so that they would have it before Germany
did.(Elert 2) In his letters, Einstein states that it is extremely important to
pursue the development of radium(element of the atomic bombs) before Germany
can.(Clark 678-9) This was due to the fact that the war had already begun and
Einstein was trying to ensure that the federal government had the advantage and
that some order of peace, if at all possible, would be reached by the efforts
of America.
Albert Einstein differed from other scientists and professionals because of the
incredible importance attached to the philosophical aspect of physics. Through
the practical application of his teachings, the world becomes more educated on
intelligence and technology. As we look behind at what he achieved and ahead to
what his legacy holds for the future, we see the magnitude of this genius of a
man\'s impact upon the twentieth century. Through his immigration and
contribution to American science and society, extreme intelligence, and
preservation of the United States through intuition in nuclear technology,
Albert Einstein was the most influential person of the twentieth century.
Works Cited
Clark, Ronald W. Einstein: The Life and Times. New York: Avon, 1984.
Einstein, Albert. Relativity: The Special and General Theory. Tran. by Robert
W. Lawson. 15th ed. New York: Bonanza-Crown, 1961.
Einstein, Albert. The World as I See It. Translated by Alan Harris. Carol
Publishing Group Edition. New York: Carol, 1995.
Elert, Glenn. \"Albert Einstein\'s letters to President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.\" 1997. Online. Internet. Available
\"Knowledge/Imagination/Creativity.\" Words of Wisdom from Albert
Einstein . Online. Internet. Available
(2 Nov. 2001).
Levenson, Thomas. \"Genius Among Geniuses.\" Einstein Revealed. 1996.
Online. Internet. Available
PBS (Nova). \"Timeline.\" Einstein Revealed. 1996. Online. Internet.
Available
\"War/A-Bomb.\" Words of Wisdom from Albert Einstein. Online.
Internet. Available