Jerry Medford

English 12

17 April 2017

The Man Behind Relativity

Crazy hair, crazy ideas, and the man behind modern science. Albert Einstein has lead the

way for future scientists in a way that can only be shown through his great works. Men like

Stephen Hawking and Niels Bohr have used the ideas of Einstein to expand the field of science

in a way that has gained everyone's attention. The man behind the first atomic bomb as well as

the original theory of relativity is more than just a wacky hairdo. Starting from humble

beginnings, Einstein was able to accomplish what a multitude of scientists would have loved to

accomplish. He is the example of a true hero.

Einstein's academic career started in a patent office in Switzerland. It was here where

Albert wrote some of his best papers in a time that has been called his miracle year. It was

during this time that Einstein created his theory of relativity, which is commonly known by

society as his E=MC2 equation. His idea created the necessary bond between time, gravity, space,

and energy. This theory was influential in the field of theoretical physics because mending the

gap between these four areas of science had never happened; some individuals even believed that

they could not be related. This theory led the way for other scientist and brought about ideas such

as the lightyear. It also lead the way for a plethora of science fiction novels and shows such as

Star Trek. This theory launched Albert Einstein into a state of celebrity not only in the field of

physics, but in the world as a whole. In 1933, Einstein left the nation of Germany as a pacifist
trying to avoid war. He came to the United States and began a 5 year teaching career at Princeton

University. Where the American\s accepted him with open arms.

As the Allies war with the Germans continued to grow in Europe, it appeared to Albert

Einstein that the Nazi scientists may have been working on an atomic bomb of their own. The

thought of Hitler having such a weapon scared him as he knew that Hitler would stop at nothing

to win the war. So Albert Einstein worked with Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, who had

enlightened Einstein of the potential risks of the Germans having such a weapon and the

potential chain reactions that may have followed. Albert Einstein sent a letter to the president

Franklin Delano Roosevelt telling him that the Americans should create their own weapon before

the Germans did. After sending more letters saying the same thing, Roosevelt finally decided to

create the bill to form the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was lead by Dr. Richard

Feinman and allowed the United States to create and use the first atomic bomb. If it hadnt been

for Einstein's efforts, many believed that we would have been behind the Germans in the creation

of the bomb. Einstein was against using the bomb on the Japanese due to how close they were to

the Russians who had not been told about the weapon that they were making. In a letter to a

colleague Niels Bohr(who has his own WW2 story) he stated that "When the war is over, then

there will be in all countries a pursuit of secret war preparations with technological means which

will lead inevitably to preventative wars and to destruction even more terrible than the present

destruction of life."(Albert Einstein and the Atomic Bomb) Yet without Einstein, Japan may have

never truly surrendered and many American lives would have been lost trying to invade the

Japanese Homeland. Even though he was against using the bomb, save for the Germans, he was

able to save countless families in America from losing the ones that they loved.
 Some people may see Albert Einstein as a crazy man with an amazing brain. But he was

so much more than that. He was the founder of modern science, and the idea that many

physicists base their entire lives on. In a world full of hate and fear, Albert Einstein was able to

join the world in a new and unified way that has allowed our ideas to expand across the cosmos

and into the hearts of the everyday Americans. Leading to the moon landing in the 60s to the

microchips that we use in our cell phones. Just as these creations and accomplishments relied on

the field of physics. The field of physics relied on Albert Einstein and the legion of men

following the theories that he created and the dreams that he formed. He has allowed us to dream

bigger about the ideas of space travel and has given us the hope of traveling through time itself.

Even though he made some mistakes, he will always be a scientific hero in the eyes of mankind.

Work Cited
"The Official Licensing Site of Albert Einstein." Albert Einstein. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

Long, Doug. "ALBERT EINSTEIN." Albert Einstein and the Atomic Bomb. Doug Long, n.d.

Web. 12

Apr. 2017.

"Albert Einstein - Biographical." Nobelprize.org. Nobel Foundation, 1967. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.