But this third time, the University succeeded and Einstein wrote again on accepting the offer with thanks. His letters declining the offers are gracious and elegantly written. He had been unable to attend both times his doctor advising him against the trip on the second occasion. Already a famous scientist by this date, he had been invited by the University to receive an honorary degree twice before: at the Encaenia in 1925 and again in 1930. While he was here, the University grabbed the opportunity to give Einstein an honorary degree. When the lecture began, there were so many people present (over 400 according to The Oxford Times), that there was standing room only for some. The first lecture on Saturday 9 May entitled ‘The Theory of Relativity’ was reportedly packed out. According to notices in the University Gazette, the lectures were for members of the University, but a few tickets were available to members of the public. He came to give the Rhodes Memorial Lectures, a short series of lectures on the subject of relativity held on three successive Saturday lunchtimes at Rhodes House. This genius of science left the world at the age of 76, in 1955, he is one of the icons of science.Ninety years ago this month Albert Einstein, the great physicist and mathematician, visited Oxford University. Unlike his manuscripts, which had broken previous records, the one on the theory of general relativity is a scientific working document, in fact, it is one of the priceless rarities.Ĭhristie's of the auction team explains that it is one of only two working manuscripts documenting the genesis of the theory of general relativity that have come down to them…”, she believes it is an extraordinary testimony to the Einstein's work and allows them a fascinating insight into the mind of the greatest scientist of the 20th century".Īlbert Einstein is the father of the theory of special relativity, which allowed him to demonstrate in 1905 the formula E = mc², a little later, the physicist leaned on a theory of general relativity.įinally published in November 1915, this theory of gravitation revolutionized our conception of the universe. No Einstein manuscript had yet broken the record of 2.8 million dollars (2.4 million euros) for a letter on God sold in 2018 in New York. In the end, the document was awarded at 11.6 million euros with costs (10.2 million without costs). Bidding kicked off at 1.5 million and within a few pulsating minutes, numbers skimmed over to a battle between two buyers who were intervening over the phone. The organizers of the auction had taken care to underline the rarity of such a document, because "the scientific autograph documents of Einstein from this period, and more generally from before 1919, are extremely rare", according to them, Besso played a vital role in the preservation of the manuscript.Īt the start of the auction, the market value of the document was between two and three million euros. Written between 19, this 54-page manuscript was written by Albert Einstein himself, with Michele besso his collaborator and confidant. The manuscript in which he was preparing his theory of general relativity was sold at auction for the sum of 11.6 million euros, a new record for an Einstein manuscript. Are you used to seeing an old photo of a man sticking out his tongue? This is Albert Einstein, a famous physicist and one of his manuscripts has just broken a huge record in Paris, this Tuesday, November 23, 2021.
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