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Albert Einstein
Germany is celebrating
Einstein Year in 2005 in a
Einstein Year focuses on Albert Einstein the man, the
musician and pacifist, as well as on his scientific achievements as a physicist and their significance for the
modern world, and on his innovative ability, which extends
to the present day. Albert Einstein's work on the Photoelectric Effect, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize
in 1921, is the basis for the development of all kinds of
equipment where light is converted into electricity from
CD players to digital cameras to solar energy systems.
Dear Reader,
Albert Einstein, in all his facets as a politically and
socially committed individual, a cosmopolite of the
Jewish faith, a brilliant scientist and a lateral thinker
has a special meaning for me. His actions and his social
responsibility were, and remain, exemplary. His fine
sense of humour and his study of both humankind and
matter are equally fascinating. Albert Einstein gave
science a human face across space and time.
Today, 100 years after the formulation of the Theory
of Relativity and 50 years after his death, we are celebrating Einstein Year 2005 in a joint initiative launched
by the Federal Government, science, industry and culture. UNESCO is also celebrating Albert Einstein and
has declared 2005 the World Year of Physics.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. inquisitiveness and thought, imagination and creativity are
precisely what we need when we talk about creating a
new culture of innovation in Germany.
Just as Albert Einstein and his research once established
the foundations for significant innovations, it is important
today to fill Einstein's heirs our young people with
enthusiasm for scientific topics and encourage them to
play an active part.
Einstein Year 2005 offers everyone the opportunity to
get to know Albert Einstein, the person, the scientist, in
numerous exhibitions, colloquia and events. This brochure
provides a preview of the varied programme.
Edelgard Bulmahn
Federal Minister of Education and Research
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Joy in looking and comprehending is natures most beautiful gift. Albert Einstein
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
The themes of Einstein Year 2005
Albert Einstein
The man and scientist
Nothing will ever become of you, Einstein!
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Einsteins legacy
His ideas continue to have an effect even today
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Annus mirabilis
100 years of the Theory of Relativity
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The programme
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I never worry about the future. It comes soon enough. Albert Einstein
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Einsteins legacy
His ideas continue to have an effect even today
Without us realising it, we encounter Albert Einstein in
different fields of everyday life. The GPS system in our
cars guides us safely through the traffic. Our purchases
in the supermarket are registered by a scanner cash
register. And we took our latest holiday snaps using our
new digital camera.
Even if Einstein himself did not write his most important
essays for practical use or personal profit, his abstract
thoughts on light, space and time have led to many technological innovations which appear to us today to be quite
normal. Whether it be a CD player, a television set or a
modern computer, these new inventions are often based
on one of Albert Einsteins theories.
Mathematics is the only perfect method of pulling wool over ones own eyes. Albert Einstein
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have dreamt about for thousands of years. Einstein contemplated questions which are difficult to understand,
such as four dimensions, which can only be understood
as a single unit. He thought about stars which are not
where they appear to be; about clocks which go slower
with the speed of light; about energy as mass. Only few
people were able to follow him when he talked about his
theories. But, Einstein was right!
But that is not all. The Einstein myth is also based on his
life and his personal manner. The story of Einsteins life
slumbers in our collective subconscious as that of a
boy who had problems with his teachers and the German
school system, but who nevertheless developed to become
an outstanding scientist. Einsteins personality continues
Many of his political ideas were radical and so unswerving that the policymakers of his time could make very
little use of them. But he was, and still is, respected
for this unconventional and unfaltering attitude. Albert
Einstein became the symbol of a socially responsible
scientist worldwide.
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Annus mirabilis
100 years of the Theory of Relativity
It happens only rarely that a scientist manages to develop
several theories which revolutionise our concept of nature.
It is even more rare that an individual scientist thinks
out such fundamental new ideas in different fields that
he deserves the Nobel Prize for each individual idea.
It appears almost impossible that a 26-year-old could
have managed both. It is absolutely incredible and all the
more fascinating that Albert Einstein managed all this
in a single year.
But this is exactly how it was. In Einsteins year of wonders
1905, he published five essays at breathtaking speed
one of them his doctoral thesis. Two of these essays turn
the whole of theoretical physics upside down.
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The German
Physical
Society (DPG)
is the oldest and largest physical society in the world
with more than 47,000 members. Albert Einstein was
among its members, and between 1916 and 1918 he
was President of the DPG. The DPG will commemorate
Einstein in 2005 with the conference Physics since
Einstein, which will be held in Berlin in March and is
expected to bring together more than 5,000 participants
from all over the world. In addition, the DPG will organize
the Highlights of Physics within the framework of the
Summer of Science, including among other things a
science exhibition and a national schools competition.
The House of BrandenburgPrussian History (HBPG) provides a forum for the active and
critical study of the history of
Brandenburg and Prussia. Its
contribution to Einstein Year is an exhibition on the cultural and scientific history of the Einstein Tower. Furthermore, it coordinates the events commemorating Einstein
in Potsdam, and it is a partner of the Summer of Science.
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Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. Albert Einstein
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The programme
Einstein Year 2005 is setting a new trend. For the first
time, the focus of a Science Year is not on a scientific
discipline but on a figure of contemporary history. The
central events of Einstein Year will take place in Berlin
and Potsdam the two cities where Einstein lived and
worked until emigrating to the USA in 1933.
But traces of Einsteins scientific work can also be found
in other places in Germany. Numerous events will take
place all over Germany, from Bremen to Munich and from
Ulm to Hanover, and their focus will be on Einstein, the
man and scientist. The following is a brief overview of the
most important events in Einstein Year 2005:
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Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
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All of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. Albert Einstein
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The most precious things in life are not those you get for money. Albert Einstein
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Contacts
Coordination:
Bundesministerium fr Forschung und Bildung
Projektgruppe Einsteinjahr 2005 (PEJ)
Heinemannstr. 2
53175 Bonn
Germany
phone: +49 (0)18 88 57 21 29
fax:
+49 (0)18 88 578 21 29
e-mail: andrea.noske@bmbf.bund.de
Publication details
Published by the
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Referat Publikationen; Internet Editorial
11055 Berlin
www.bmbf.de
Concept, text and design:
WE DO communication GmbH, Berlin
Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, Berlin
Stephanie Schmidt, Berlin
Printing and production:
Knigsdruck, Berlin
Illustrations:
Page 7: Einstein (No. 2386257), Picture Alliance/dpa
Page 8: Einstein and family (No. 2620784),
Picture Alliance/akg-Images
Einstein record cover, Cbs/Epic/Wtg Records
Page 11: Einstein Tower (No. 3715248), Picture Alliance/dpa
Page 12: Einstein graffiti www.skize.se
As a child www.einstein-website.de
Page 15: Comic Michael McGuiness
Formula (No. 4280030), Picture Alliance/akg-Images
Quotations projections
Bundeministerium fr Bildung und Forschung
Photos
Think ahead
www.einsteinjahr.de
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The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. Albert Einstein
www.einsteinjahr.de