Albert Einstein is known as one of the most brilliant people our world has ever seen. Here, MusicSnake Magazine put together a list of 13 interesting facts you probably didn’t know about the genius.
Albert Einstein Was a Ladies’ Man
He was married, but Einstein was quite the philanderer while he was married. A series of letters were released by Hebrew University that detailed at least six women Albert Einstein saw while he was married.
Einstein Slept With His Cousin
His second wife was Elsa. And she was actually his second cousin.
Albert Einstein Encouraged the Atom Bomb
He may have been a pacifist, but Einstein actually encouraged president Roosevelt to continue with the Manhattan Project. True fact!
Einstein Was Driven to Science by a Compass
When he was just five years old, Albert’s father gave him a compass as a gift. He did not fully understand how the compass worked, and so his curiosity eventually led him to pursue science as a career.
Albert Einstein Was Not a Nice Husband
His first wife, Mileva, had a contract with him. There were several conditions for their marriage, including the fact that she had to wash and clean his clothes, cook every single meal for him, and keep his room clean.
He Was Religious
Despite Einstein’s scientific career, he actually believed in God. Well, specifically, he believed in something larger than himself. Einstein said, “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way, the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort.”
Einstein Was Not a Very Good Father
We mentioned that he was a pretty terrible husband in part one of this list, but he was also a bad father. His oldest son was named Hans Albert, and he became very angry with him after Einstein refused to take care of Hans Albert’s mother after they got divorced. He did not leave very much for his son after he died.
He Could Have Been a Professional Musician
If Albert Einstein were not a physicist, he could have been playing violin professionally. The scientist admitted that he often thought in music, and he lived his daydreams in music as well.
His Brain Traveled the World
After Einstein died, his son allowed for pieces of his brain to be sent to labs to be studied. It was found that he has more glial cells than the average person, which may have allowed him to synthesize information in a unique way.
The Scientist Loved to Sail
Though he was passionate about sailing and loved going out on his boat, he was actually quite terrible at it. Einstein’s neighbors in Long Island would often have to travel out to rescue him because he capsized his boat so frequently.
Einstein’s Parents Were Concerned About His Mental Prowess
He was not very vocal as a child, and in fact, he rarely spoke. Even worse, when Albert did speak, he spoke at an extremely slow pace relative to his peers. He behaved this way until he was nine years old.
He Was Almost a President
In 1952, Israel’s president, Chaim Weizmann, died. Albert Einstein was asked to become the next president, but he turned the offer down.
The Theory of Relativity Began in Enstein’s Head
He liked to perform thought experiments in his own head. One of these experiments involved him riding next to a beam of light at the speed of light. He began wondering if, while riding at the same speed as light next to a beam of light, that beam of light would look stationary. That question eventually was realized as the theory of relativity.
