Everyone knows Albert Einstein as the crazy-haired, brilliant mathematician, and physicist who developed the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He’s a Nobel Prize winner and his last name is synonymous with the word “genius”. Phrases like, “Wow, he’s a real Einstein” or “Oh, you think you’re an Einstein... “ are used every day by people around the world, most of whom probably know nothing about physics. And in the age of internet and memes, Albert is probably one of the most misquoted people, along with Buddha, Confucious, and Winston Churchill.
We All Want to be A Rebel
Why all the misquoting? Well, when we hear about Einstein’s childhood, it resonates with almost all of us. It doesn’t take much writing talent to get readers to sympathize and empathize with him. An awkward child, he didn’t fit in and he struggled with the rigid ways of German schools. Even if you aren’t quite sure what German schools are like, everyone has felt the pain of feeling left out, the uncomfortable silence of not fitting in, the frustration of school. We attribute quotes that touch us with Einstein because, for many, he’s our hero. It’s not as though Instagram source checks your memes.
Einstein, Hairdresser
We’ll never really know for sure if Einstein truly was smarter than the rest of us. We know he probably didn’t care much about bad hair days, but his brain? A study showed that he had more glial cells and no furrow in his parietal lobe, but only 11 other brains were used for comparison. What we do know about Einstein and other geniuses out there is that it wasn’t their talent, but their persistence that got them to the top of their field. Had Einstein given up and decided to style hair instead, we would be missing a piece of jewelry in our collection. A lot of other things would also be different in the world, but that’s beside the point.
The equation that changed the world is, of course, the famous E=mc2. Like its developer, the equation stands for more than just math and physics. It represents raw talent, hard work, grit, and the best kind of rebel. Not the kind that makes a lot of noise and draws attention to him or herself. No, the E=mc2 rebels not only walk to the beat of their own drums, they’re oblivious to the rest of the orchestra as well! So rock your inner rebel with our E=mc2 ring or necklace, especially on a “bad” hair day.
written by Science with Evie
