Cross-cultural communication （122）　

122) Einstein's War　
At the end of 2021, I read a non-fiction book titled Einstein's War (written by Matthew Stanley, Dutton). The young Einstein announces his theory of relativity, but there are few people in his own country of Germany who understand it. At the time, the only way to prove this theory was through measurements taken during a total eclipse of the sun, but unfortunately World War I breaks out. Germany becomes the pariah of Europe, and in particular, they are roundly criticized by the British. Since the observation of this solar eclipse had to be carried out in the best possible location in the world in order to obtain accurate astronomical results, it was decided that an international team would be formed to do so. The team was managed by the Royal Observatory in England. The director at the time was an astronomer called Eddington, who was also a Quaker and a conscientious objector to military service, and who was a man with a keen interest in physics. After the war broke out, he lamented the fact that he was no longer able to communicate with German scientists.

At that time, he had the opportunity to see an early paper on Einstein's theory of relativity through a friend. Eddington immediately understood its significance, and he also understood that the only way to prove it was through the measurements of a total eclipse of the sun that he would be in charge of. However, the Germans, including scientists, were hated enemies during the war. Einstein's theory also led to the denial of Newton's law of universal gravitation, which was the pride of Britain. Eddington overcame all these difficulties and carried out observations of a total solar eclipse in 1919, immediately after the war, and proved the theory of relativity.

So I think the title “Einstein's War” has two meanings: the First World War and his own war against the various headwinds against Einstein's theory.
Einstein won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921, and is still considered to be the greatest intellect of the 20th century. It is a well-known story that he gave the large sum of money from the Nobel Prize to his ex-wife as a living allowance. However, there was another incident that I didn't know about, which was written in this book.

He employed his ex-wife's stepdaughter (which means she was not related to him by blood) as a secretary at his research institute. What's more, he fell in love with her (i.e. a romantic relationship). At the time, he had not yet divorced his ex-wife, but he was living with a woman he planned to marry again. So, the genius physicist Einstein was completely free and unrestrained in both his research and his private life. Nevertheless, he left behind more than enough achievements, and even in the 21st century he is still enjoying the reputation of a genius. Am I the only one who thinks his life was a little enviable?

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