EINSTEIN

Albert Einstein’s name was familiar to me in childhood, as it was to all my friends. It was synonymous with genius. We knew Einstein made important discoveries about the universe that had something to do with space and time.

When I first learned about special relativity in college, I was bewildered. Having other interests, I put the subject out of my mind. But it must have lingered, because years later it seemed important to revisit these strange concepts of time slowing down and lengths contracting.

I read and reread Einstein’s paper On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, which presented the special theory of relativity. I read discussions about that famous paper as well as articles and books by and about Einstein, and I watched all the videos about him that I could find. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became with how Einstein could recognize what no one else had before about the nature of the universe.

With insights from simple thought experiments, Einstein discovered that space and time are malleable and are shaped by matter. His general theory of relativity explained the force of gravity. It predicted the bending of light waves, black holes, gravitational waves, and the Big Bang. Einstein ushered in the era of quantum physics, having revealed light’s dual wave/particle nature and the relationship between mass and energy. With thought and imagination, he transformed our understanding of the cosmos.

Eventually, I began collecting photographs and documents of the great scientist. Not being a physicist, I could appreciate his pictures, if not the complex mathematics in his writings. The photos gave me the feeling of a personal connection to Albert Einstein—the real, living man—almost as if I knew him.

In retrospect, there was an indirect connection. During weekends in my late teens, I frequented the home of a physicist, Max Herzberger, who had been Einstein’s friend. On his living room wall was a beautiful portrait photograph of Einstein.  Perhaps that image was the seed that led decades later to this collection. As you explore these pages, I hope you enjoy the same feeling they have given me of affinity to one of the most extraordinary individuals who ever lived.

—GARY S. BERGER, MD