Einstein also had a unique way of viewing the universe. He did not see open space as empty space. He wrote, "Physical objects are not in space, but these objects are spatially extended (as fields). In this way the concept 'empty space' loses its meaning" (Einstein qtd. On Space and Motion). He thought the physical reality of space was simply a representation of different coordinates of space and time.
Part of Einstein's radical thinking was the notion that distance and time are not absolute. He could look at the clock and sense that the rate of that ticking clock depended on the "motion of the observer of that clock" (Lightman). In addition to this, Einstein's ideas posited that gravity pulling one object in one direction is equal to a force accelerating in the opposite direction. Lightman helps us understand this notion with the image of an "elevator accelerating upwards feels just like gravity pushing you into the floor" (Lightman). Lightman maintains that Einstein had to come to this conclusion because gravity must move and operate by the same laws of the universe as space and time do. Einstein took the notion a little farther, noting that the gravity of any mass has the power to warp the space and time around it. This idea is a little more difficult to grasp because it seems to conflict with ideas that have been considered absolute. The idea of a clock ticking slower the closer it becomes to a mass of gravity is difficult to imagine but thinking "outside the box," so to speak, was what allowed Einstein to see time differently.
Einstein was also an enigma because he did not seem to fit the typical genius definition when he was younger. Certain seemingly unimportant events triggered Einstein's curiosity. A compass given to him by his father and a clock tower were early inspirations for the iconic genius. The clock towers are especially important because they helped him think about time and space. It is reported that after passing by the clock tower on e day, Einstein "came to a sudden realization: time is not absolute. In other words, despite our common perception that a second is always a second everywhere in the universe, the rate at which time flows depends upon where you are and how fast you are traveling" (AMNH). In his article, "Einstein's Clocks: The Place of Time," Peter Galison ponders over Einstein's breakthrough that "toppled" (Galison 355) Newton's theory of space and time. He notes that to physicists Poincare, Lorentz, and Abraham, Einstein's notion must have seemed "startling, almost incomprehensible, because it began with basic assumptions about the behavior of clocks, rulers, and bodies in force-free motion" (355). Its basics hinge on the structure of electrons, forces of nature, and the dynamics of ether. Philosophers, as well as fellow physicists were influenced by his ideas and when it was all said and done, his paper, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," became the "best-known physics paper of the twentieth century" (356). The paper "departs so radically from the older, "practical' world of classical mechanics that the work has become a model of the revolutionary divide" (356). Here we see how Einstein needed to see things differently and think about them differently in order to fully understand with what he was working. He had to go beyond what the world had previously established as truth and absolute - and it paid off. It was not long before Einstein became "internationally renowned" (History.com). He won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1922 and he was indeed a celebrity. It is reported that "his visit to any part of the world became a national event; photographers and reporters followed him everywhere" (History.com).
Einstein does deserve every bit of notoriety he gets. However, as many have observed, there is much more to Einstein's image than just a scientist. He was funny, comical, spontaneous, and likable. Golden and Levenson, as well as many others, assert that the very moment Einstein became an icon was November 6, 1919. While the New York Times missed the opportunity to break the news first, the British Royal Society did not. During a special meeting, they decided to reveal the results of observations that "seemed to confirm Einstein's theory of gravity, the general theory of relativity" (Levenson). The headline of the story was enough to pique anyone's imagination, claiming, "Revolution in Science -- New Theory of the Universe -- Newton's Ideas Overthrown.'" the New York Times...
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