Walter Isaacson, the author of “His Life and Universe”, reveal a juicy bit of information from the early life of never forgotten physicist, the one and only “Einstein”.

In 1895, the sixteen-year-old bright student stood second in his class (according to the records of exclusive college preparatory school in Aargau Switzerland, which survived in those days).
Isaacson wrote it in his book in these words, “Alas, the name of the boy who bested Einstein is lost to history.”
So it might be a surprising fact for some that, the man who is a synonym of genius and who told us about the untold tales of the universe, put out the theories which were unimaginable at that time, was at one point not the most intelligent student in his class.

It makes one think why and how a child from a middle-class family became interested in physics? What were the forces which compelled him to pursue these uncharted territories of physics and laws governing the whole of the universe?

Childhood and Education

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany. Albert’s father, Hermann Einstein, was primarily a featherbed salesman and later ran a small electrochemical factory. His mother, Pauline Koch, was a housewife. Both of his parents were from a long line of Jewish heritage and their ancestors had been living in Southern Germany for many centuries. His mother came from a fairly wealthy family and was known for her wits. She also liked music and that’s probably the reason Albert got developed an interest in music from a young age. Albert had only one younger sister Maria (who went by the name Maja). Like most siblings, they had their differences but Maja would grow up to become one of the best and closest friends of Albert.

Learning Difficulties

From early childhood, Einstein faced problems in learning. He was especially slow in learning how to speak. He used to whisper to himself before saying the words out loud. Due to this tendency of repetition and whispering, his maid nicknamed him “der depperte” — the dopey one
Even at the age of nine, he was unable to speak fluently. Many of his teachers thought Albert was mentally weak. As a child, Albert preferred to play by himself rather than with other boys his age.

Fascination with Music

Einstein had a variety of hobbies as well. He enjoyed constructing towers with playing cards and building complex structures with blocks. He also liked to work on puzzles or read books about mathematics. It was Albert’s mother who introduced him to one of his favorite pastimes; music.
At first, Albert wasn’t sure he wanted to learn to play the violin. It seemed too regimented. But then Albert heard Mozart and his world changed. Einstein once said that “Mozart’s music is so pure and beautiful that I see it as a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe itself”. Later in life, Albert would turn to music when stuck on a particularly difficult scientific concept.

Sometimes, he would be playing his violin in the middle of the night and then suddenly stop as a solution to a problem jumped into his mind. As an older man, Einstein explained how important music was to his life and his work saying, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my day-dreams in music. I see my life in terms of
music Influences.
When Albert was around the age of five or six, he fell ill. To try and make him feel better, his father bought him a compass to play with. Einstein became fascinated with the compass. How did it work? What was the mysterious force that caused the compass to point north? Einstein claimed as an adult that he could remember how he felt examining the compass. He said it made a profound and lasting impression on him even as a child and sparked his curiosity to want to explain the unknown. The second wonder in young Albert’s life was his discovery of a geometry book at the age of 12. He called it his “little sacred geometry book”.

Yet another important influence on Einstein was a young medical student, Max Talmud. Talmud became an informal tutor, introducing Einstein higher mathematics and philosophy. A pivotal turning point occurred when Einstein was introduced to a children’s science series “Popular Books on Physical Science”, in which the author imagined riding along electricity inside a telegraph wire.

This imaginative question dominated Einstein for the next 10 years: what would a light beam look like if you could run alongside it? If light were a wave, then light beam should appear stationary, like a frozen wave. Even as a child, though, he knew that stationary light waves had never been seen, so there was a paradox.
After three years attending the local Catholic school, eight-year-old Albert changed schools to the Liutpold Gymnasium where he would spend the next seven years. Einstein felt that the teaching style at Liutpold was too regimented and constraining. He did not enjoy the military discipline of the teachers and often rebelled against their authority. He compared his teachers to drill sergeants. While there are many stories telling about how Einstein struggled in school and even failed in math, these are not true. He may have not been the ideal student, but he scored high in most subjects, especially math and physics. As an adult, Einstein was asked about his failure in math and he replied; I never failed in mathematics. Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus.

Adolescence:

Originally, Einstein was destined to take over his family business, but when it failed in 1894, Einstein’s family moved to Italy. There he wrote his first scientific paper, in his teen years, which investigated the nature of either – a hypothetical consequence of how light travels through space that Einstein later disproved. After that, he continued his education at various univer-sities in Europe and one after the others, published and researched on ground-breaking work.

On 14th September 2015, Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the distortions in space-time caused by passing gravitational waves generated by the collision of two black holes nearly 1.3 billion light-years away. The cataclysmic event is extremely violent but by the time the disruptions in space-time reach earth, due to such an
infinitesimally vast distance, its intensity is vastly reduced. In fact, by the time gravitational waves from LIGO first detection reached earth, the amount of space-time wobbling they generated was thousands of times smaller than the nucleus of an atom! Interestingly such kind of phenom-enon producing gravitational waves had been predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity 99 years ago.  Although born to middle-class Jewish parents he challenged the Newtonian laws of physics which had been prevalent for more than two hundred years and changed the human viewpoint of the universe through his famous “Theory of General Relativity”.

Before his death, Einstein published a total of more than 300 scientific papers. From being a dull student who could not even speak properly, Albert Einstein became one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century. His genius and intellect were accepted worldwide and the theo-retical predictions he made long ago have been proven correct- the latest one in 2015.

The message to take here is that, yes, it is mandatory to have good grades in school, but it does not define what your gifted skills are. There is no fundamental law which defines that every genius should always top the class. Genius is one who comes up with new ideas, sometimes weird as well.
The quote I love most of this great scientist is “imagination is more important than knowledge” hence it is your imagination which makes you mastermind.
So next time, whenever you look at the moon, at the stars, the world around you, the cars, the animals, try to imagine, whatever you can, the stupidity levels does not matter. As Einstein says, “the difference between stupid and genius is that genius has its limits”.

One of the most memorable and amazing films of the past year was “First Man”. Directed by Damien Chazelle starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, this film explores the life of the first human to step on the moon, Neil Armstrong, thus aptly named. The film is a spectacular feature and a great addition to the science fiction genre. In Hollywood these days, where superhero franchises rule the box office, this film seems to be a breath of fresh air telling the story of a real-life hero.

After the end of World War II, the cold war continued between two giant superpowers i.e. America and The Soviet Union. One of the races was to become the first country to land on and explore the moon. The film highlights this issue in the beginning, showing the struggles and the journey of the American Space Program and their approach towards the achievem-ent of this certain goal. However, as this movie is based on the life on the life of Neil Armstrong, it starts with the depiction of his personal experien-ces that greatly affected his life. It is no surprise that it showed how the death of Neil’s daughter had a traumatic impact on his life, and afterwards, he became much soberer and more serious. He was a quiet man who had a brilliant mind, evident through his repeated selections in space programs by NASA.

Neil was selected to be in the team of the three people who would go to the moon in the Apollo 11 Mission. The other members were Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. However, this historic feat was not achieved in a single year, rather it took many years and even lives to shape and develop a perfect program. Neil’s competency was never argued and rejected as he performed exceptionally well at each step. In the movie, a melancholy tone gripped the entire plot which would surely intrigue the audience and keep them interested till the end. It also showed the views of the Americans who were critical of the program and NASA itself.  

The script was written by Josh Singer and was based on the book First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James R. Hansen. What I loved about the film was it’s out of the world music by Justin Horowitz, the Academy award-winning composer of films like Whiplash and La La Land. It was the fantastic tunes and melodies that wonderfully complemented each scene and made it even more stunning. At times it was satisfying and at times it was beautiful enough to take your breath away. The final moments of the film showed the true compassion and nature of Neil Armstrong, who was previously presented as a rather calm and reserved human. One scene was so well crafted that I am sure it’ll bring tears to the viewer’s eyes.

Unfortunately, the film suffered some major setbacks in the box-office as well as the general audience in the USA due to some controversies. Some argued that this film should’ve discussed more aspects of the Apollo mission to the moon and should’ve included more stories and people. The major trouble was created when people said that it was very wrong not to include the moment when the American flag was placed on the lunar surface. Ryan Gosling, the lead actor, said that it was not the story of the Americans but a hero who was human and who didn’t care any less about the flag. He said that it was an achievement for the whole humanity, and it would contradict the famous words of Neil himself that were, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.  Also, this film included several of his famous quotes including the iconic phrase, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed”.

The movie had amazing cinematography, direction, soundtrack and acting among other things. Ryan and Claire Foy performed exceptionally well and brought life to their characters. The supporting cast was also great and the director Damien Chazelle, just like his other hit movies, proved that he would soon stand out in the line of best directors of the century. Visually, the efforts of the editors and visual effects artists must be appreciated as replicating the landing wasn’t as an easy step as it sounded. Every department did their best. Certain moments may bore those having a short attention span but can be compensated by other stupefying bits. Neil Armstrong’s sons also applauded the movie and it’ll be remembered in the years to come as a masterfully crafted work of art.

It is a daunting task to portray such a hero but, in my opinion, it was a job well done. Portraying human emotions, a historic scheme, and a dangerous expedition needs skills and work which was aptly done by the entire team of this film. It will certainly inspire many who like to dream big and work hard while facing extreme personal issues. It is a lesson that if a human possesses humility and commitment, nothing can stop from him/her from going to the moon and back. Literally!

Mother of Hubble Telescope

Who would have thought that this little newborn baby girl born in Nashville, Tennessee would defy all odds and rise to the challenge what nobody ever thought was possible in that era? The girl like most women in the sciences in the mid-twentieth century would have to face the male dominance to pursue a role in science and technology where these roles were perceived as inappropriate for women in that time period but unlike many women discouraged by the odds, she continued to be resilient and thus Roman’s scientific legacy was hard-won. She emphasized on science subjects despite discouragement from teachers and professors. And during her career, she faced gender-based discrimination when science was largely dominated by men, but her persistence paid off, and she became the first woman to hold an executive position at NASA before retiring in 1979. The Roman’s crowning achievement at NASA was perhaps the greatest gift ever given to astrophysics: the Hubble Space Telescope, the groundbreaking satellite observatory that has helped in more than 1.2 million observations and 14,000 research papers since its 1990 launch.

Nancy Grace Roman was born in Nashville, Tennessee on May 16, 1925, the only child of Georgia Smith Roman, a former music teacher, and Irwin Roman, a geophysicist. Because of her father’s job, the family moved various states around the US like Oklahoma, Texas, New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada. Once Roman memorized her childhood days when her mother had taken her outside in Michigan and introduced her with the natural world and pointed out specific birds, plants, and animals. Georgia Roman often showed her the constellations and the northern lights in the night sky. At the same time tried his best to provide the answers to her queries about the natural world in a precise scientific manner that helped to grow her early interest in nature and celestial objects.

“Who would have thought that this little newborn baby

Girl born in Nashville, Tennessee would defy all odds

And rise to the challenge what nobody ever thought

Was possible in that era?”

It was because of her parents’ efforts that Roman organized her own astro-nomy club at the age of 11 with her neighbors and friends, where they used to hold weekly meetings to learn about the constellations. Though her great passion for scientific subjects she very often met with resistance, if not out-ward contempt. Once she recalled her early days when her high school guidance counselor insisted that if she could take second-year algebra ins-tead of Latin? And very identical sort of reception I met with most of the way out. The only encouragement she had gotten during her graduation was by a nice teacher of hers, who told that more often she tries to discou-rage girls from majoring in physics, but she applauded Roman’s passion in science and show her confidence that she will certainly make it.” 

Despite the doubts that surrounded her scientific ambitions, Roman fought to receive secondary education in astronomy and physics. As a promising student at Swarthmore College, Roman still had paid no attention to the warnings from the Dean of Women education about studying science and ultimately earned her B.A. in Astronomy in 1946.

“The idea of the Hubble Telescope can be traced back to

1946, initially, it was astronomer Lyman Spitzer who

Published his research paper titled as “observatory”. But

Due to concerns over the costs of such a telescope and

Doubts that it could even be executed, the plan to get such

 An instrument into space did not take off for a decade.”

After graduating with a BA in astronomy in 1946, she graduated from the University of Chicago, even though the professors clearly did not like educating women. Moving to the University of Chicago, she earned a Ph.D. in astronomy three years later and joined University’s Yerkes Observatory as a researcher. However, spending six years of professional success at Yerkes, she was not satisfied with her career achievements and future. Neither she was a permanent staff member and nor hopeful to be in future since she could see that those positions were overwhelmingly offering to men.

Eventually, in 1955 she met with an astronomer who needed for the US government’s naval research laboratory in Washington, DC. She applied for and got the job. Four years later, she was tipped off that the recently formed NASA was looking for someone to set up its space astronomy program. She earned that position, and finally, at NASA, she got a place where men treated her as an equal without gender discrimination.

Hubble Telescope Program:

In fact, the idea of the Hubble Telescope can be traced back to 1946, initially, it was astronomer Lyman Spitzer who published his research paper titled as “observatory”. But due to concerns over the costs of such a telescope and doubts that it could even be executed, the plan to get such an instrument into space did not take off for a decade.

 In 1959 Nancy Joined NASA, just six months after the agency opened, Roman was in-charge of developing a program of astronomy from space. She traveled the US talking to astronomers in their various universities and listening to their ambitions. She also went in lengthy discussions to elaborate the advantages of observing from space, where there was no atmosphere to blur the view and no daytime to halt the observatory’s work for half the day. In 1960, she successfully arranged meetings of around 30 astronomers and NASA engineers to discuss the idea of a large, general-purpose space telescope that in order to come up with something that could sense to everyone, she acted as the interpreter for these groups of engineers and astronomers. The real hurdle lies in a heavy budget since it cost 20 times the price of the largest ground-based telescope.

Eventually, with her great efforts, she laid the foundation, but it took until the 1970s for certain key technologies to be developed, like the CCD chips that made the first digital cameras possible. Once these were available, Roman set up the program that built the Hubble space telescope. It was too laborious and by the time the telescope was launched in 1990, Roman got retirement from NASA after 11 years of hard work and dedication and joined as a consultant and an advocate for women in science. 

This is because of her great contribution, she often is called the “Mother of Hubble”. Initially,

It was Edward J. Weiler, the [then] chief astronomer of NASA who worked with Roman at the agency first, called her ‘the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope’. Once he paid a great tribute to Roman that “we are regretful that history has forgotten a lot in today’s Internet age, but it was Nancy in the old days before the Internet and before Google and e-mail and all that stuff, who convinced the US Congress to fund such a huge project, organized the astronomers around the country that led to the launching of Hubble Space Telescope,

Research and Contributions:

Though many might consider Hubble to be her greatest legacy, Roman herself once told National Geographic that she was proudest of two things. During her time at Yerkes, Roman discovered that stars on circular orbits with more heavy elements are younger than those with more random orbits and fewer heavy elements. She also observed BD+67 922, a star that would later be renamed AG Draconis. Roman’s groundbreaking research on stars helped and motivate others to explore the evolution of the galaxy, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer, which facilitated over a hundred thousand observations of the stars.

 Her other Work Included in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series was a catalog of high-velocity stars. She documented new “spectral types photoelectric magnitudes and colors and spectroscopic parallaxes for about 600 high-velocity stars”. Roman also wrote a paper on the detection of extraterrestrial planets and also discovered that stars made of hydrogen and helium move faster than stars composed of other heavier elements. Moreover, during her early research, she found that not all stars that were common had the same age. That was later proven by comparing hydrogen lines of the low dispersion spectra in the stars.

Legacy:

Roman’s role as an advocate was not limited to the Hubble, she sought to inspire young people, and particularly girls, to pursue careers in the scientific fields. After getting retired, she taught astronomy to fifth graders in Washington. She advised to students who interested to pursue a career in science that science or engineering can be a great field for you only when you enjoy puzzles because scientific research and engineering consists on a tedious series of solving puzzles. Science, like all jobs, has its share of drudgery and boredom for many but basically, it is fun.