Anecdotes about Einstein

大学英语3AnecdotesaboutEinsteinAWastebasketforHisMistakesWhenAlbertEinsteinarrivedinAmericaatage54，pullingintoNewYorkHarborontheoceanlinerWesternlandonOctober17,1933,anofficialgreetingcommitteewaswaitingforhim.Einsteinandhisentourage,however,werenowheretobefound.AbrahamFlexner,directoroftheInstituteforAdvancedStudyinPrinceton,NewJersey,wasobsessedwithshieldinghiscelebrityprofessorfrompublicity.Sohe'dsentatugboattospiritthegreatmanawayfromtheWesternlandassoonasitclearedquarantine.Hishairpokingoutfromawide-brimmedblackhat,Einsteinsurreptitiouslydisembarkedontothetug,whichferriedhimandhispartytolowerManhattan,whereacarwouldwhiskthemtoPrinceton.“AllDr.Einsteinwantsistobeleftinpeaceandquiet,”Flexnertoldreporters.WinneroftheNobelPrizein1921forhiscontributiontotheoreticalphysics,Einsteinwasgivenanofficeattheinstitute.Hewasaskedwhatequipmentheneeded.”Adeskortable,achair,paperandpencils,“hereplied.“Oh,andalargewastebasket,soIcanthrowawayallmymistakes.”HeandElsa,hiswife,rentedahouseandsettledintolifeinPrinceton.HelikedthefactthatAmerica,despiteitsinequalitiesofwealthandracialinjustices,wasmoreofameritocracythanEurope.“Whatmakesthenewarrivaldevotedtothiscountryisthedemocratictraitamongthepeople,”hewouldlatermarvel.“Noonehumbleshimselfbeforeanotherperson.”NotAlwaysanEinsteinEinstein,however,wasnoEinsteinwhenhewasachild.GrowingupinMunich,Germany,thefirstoftwochildrenofHermannandPaulineEinstein,hewasslowinlearninghowtotalk.“Myparentsweresoworried,”herecalled,“thattheyconsultedadoctor.”Evenwhenhebeganusingwordsafteragetwo,hedevelopedaquirkthatpromptedhisnursemaidtodubhimthedopeyone.“Everysentenceheuttered,nomatterhowroutine,“recalledhisyoungersister,Maja,”herepeatedtohimselfsoftly,movinghislips.”Hisslowdevelopmentwascombinedwithacheekyrebelliousnesstowardauthority,whichledoneGermanschoolmastertosendhimpacking.AnotherdeclaredthatEinsteinwouldneveramounttomuch.“WhenIaskmyselfhowithappenedthatIdiscoveredtherelativitytheory,itseemedtolieinthefollowingcircumstance,”Einsteinlaterexplained.“Theordinaryadultneverbothershisheadabouttheproblemsofspaceandtime.Thesearethingshehasthoughtofasachild.ButIdevelopedsoslowlythatIbegantowonderaboutspaceandtimeonlywhenIwasalreadygrownup.Iprobedmoredeeplyintotheproblemthananordinarychildwouldhave.”AMerryScienceEncouragedbyhisgenialfather,whoranafamilybusiness,andhismusic-lovingmother,Einsteinspenthoursworkingonpuzzlesandbuildingtowerswithtoys.“Persistenceandtenacitywerepartofhischaracter,”hissisterremarked.Once,whenEinsteinwassickinbedasapreschooler,hisfatherbroughthimacompass.Einsteinlaterrememberedbeingsoexcitedasheexamineditsmysteriouspowersthathetrembledandgrewcold.Themagneticneedlebehavedasifinfluencedbyahiddenforcefield,ratherthanthroughamechanicalmethodoftouchorcontact.“Somethingdeeplyhiddenhadtobebehindthings,”hesaid.Hemarveledatmagneticfields,gravity,inertiaandlightbeams.Heretainedtheabilitytoholdtwothoughtsinhismindsimultaneously,tobepuzzledwhentheyconflictedandtodelightwhenhesawanunderlyingunity.“Peoplelikeyouandmenevergrowold,“hewroteafriendyearslater.”Weneverceasetostandlikecuriouschildrenbeforethegreatmysteryintowhichwewereborn.”Contrarytowidespreadbelief,Einsteinexcelledatmath.Bytheageof13,“healreadyhadapredilectionforsolvingcomplicatedproblemsinappliedarithmetic,”hissisterrecalled.Anuncle,JakobEinstein,anengineer,introducedhimtothejoysofalgebra,callingita“merryscience,”andwheneverEinsteintriumphed,he“wasovercomewithhappiness.”Fromhisreadingofpopularsciencebooks,whichshowedhimthat“muchintheBiblecouldnotbetrue,”Einsteindevelopedaresistancetoallformsofdogma.Ashewrotein1901,“Afoolishfaithinauthorityistheworstenemyoftruth.”AProudAmericaAtage15,EinsteinleftGermanyfornorthernItaly,wherehisparentsrelocatedtheirbusiness,andat16,hewrotehisfirstessayontheoreticalphysics.Einstein’sdiscoveryofspecialrelativity,afterhegraduatedfromtheZurichPolytechnicin1900whenhewas21,involvedanintuitionbasedonintellectualaswellaspersonalexperience.Hedevelopedthetheorystartingin1905,aftertakingajobattheSwisspatentoffice.Buthistheorywasnotfullyaccepteduntil1919,whenobservationsmadeduringasolareclipseconfirmedhispredictionofhowmuchthegravityofthesunwouldbendlightbeams.Atage40,in1919,Einsteinwassuddenlyworldfamous.HewasalsomarriedtoElsahissecondwife,andwasthefatheroftwosonsfromhisfirstmarriage.Byspring1921,hisexplodingglobalfameledtoagrandtwo-monthvisittotheUnitedStates,wherehereceivedsowarmawelcomethathewouldevokemassfrenzywhereverhewent.Theworldhadneverseensuchascientificcelebritysuperstar.EinsteinlovedAmerica,appreciatingthatitsburstsofexuberanceweretheresultoffreedomandindividualism.InMarch1933,withHitlerinpowerinGermany,EinsteinrealizedhecouldnolongerliveinEurope.Bythatfall,he’dsettledinPrinceton,andby1940,hewasanaturalizedcitizen,proudtocallhimselfanAmerican.TheHarmonyofNatureandMathHisfirstHalloweenlivinginAmerica,Einsteindisarmedsomeastonishedtrick-or-treatersbyserenadingthematthedoorwithhisviolin.AtChristmas,whenmembersofalocalchurchcamebytosingcarols,hesteppedoutside,borrowedaviolinandmerrilyaccompaniedth