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Albert Einstein in popular culture

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A photograph of Einstein taken by Arthur Sasse in 1951
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Albert Einstein's signature

Albert Einstein has been the subject of (or inspiration for) many works of popular culture.

Einstein sculpture at Questacon in April 2008
Bust of Einstein, Southwest University
A cartoon of Albert Einstein
Statue of Einstein at the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
Adrien Barrère - Professor Einstein, 1930
Albert Einstein - IQ Landia Liberec
Einstein wall in Czech Republic
Albert Einstein on a 1966 US stamp

Einstein is a favorite model for depictions of absent-minded professors; his expressive face and distinctive hairstyles have been widely copied and exaggerated. Time magazine's Frederic Golden wrote that Einstein was "a cartoonist's dream come true".[1]

"Einstein" has become a byword for an extremely intelligent person. It may also be used ironically when someone states the obvious or demonstrates a lack of wisdom or intelligence (as in "Way to go, Einstein!")

Many quotes that have become popular via the Internet have been misattributed to him, including "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".[2][3]

Recognition

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In 1999, leading physicists voted Einstein the "greatest physicist ever".[4]

His birthday, March 14, is also Pi Day, so called because 3/14 (March 14 in shorthand month-day format) corresponds to 3.14, the first three digits of the number Pi. The town of Princeton, New Jersey, where Einstein lived for more than 20 years, celebrates March 14 every year as "Princeton Pi Day and Einstein Birthday Party".[5]

Usage of his name and image

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The children's television show Little Einsteins and the educational toys and videos of the Baby Einstein series both use Einstein's name, though not his image.

Iranian cartoonist and humorist Javad Alizadeh publishes a column titled "4D Humor" in his Persian monthly Humor & Caricature, which features cartoons, caricatures and stories on Einstein-related topics.[6] In 1991, he published in the column a comic book on Einstein's life and work, inspired mainly by the theory of relativity.[7]

On Einstein's 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951, United Press photographer Arthur Sasse was trying to persuade him to smile for the camera, but having smiled for photographers many times that day, Einstein stuck out his tongue instead.[8] This photograph became one of the most popular ever taken of Einstein,[9][10] often used in merchandise depicting him in a lighthearted sense. Einstein enjoyed this photo and requested UPI to give him nine copies for personal use, one of which he signed for a reporter. On June 19, 2009, the original signed photograph was sold at auction for $74,324, a record for an Einstein picture at the time.[11] The photo was sold again on July 27, 2017 for $125,000.[12]

Salesforce acquired a 20-year license in 2016 for $20 million to be the only business-oriented software company permitted to use his likeness. Einstein's likeness is used as a company mascot and his name is used for the company's artificial intelligence features.[13][14]

Licensing

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Einstein bequeathed his estate, as well as the use of his image (see personality rights), to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,[15] which from the mid-1980s has sponsored the Einstein Papers Project with the Princeton University Press. Einstein actively supported the university during his life and this support continues with the royalties received from licensing activities. GreenLight licences the commercial use of the name "Albert Einstein" and associated imagery and likenesses of Einstein, as agent for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As head licensee, the corporation can control commercial usage of Einstein's name and theoretically ensure compliance with certain standards (e.g., when Einstein's name is used as a trademark, the ™ symbol must be used).[16]

In 2012, Judge Howard Matz of a United States district court found that although a General Motors advertisement featuring Einstein's image was "tasteless", it was not illegal. Judge Matz wrote that "the obviously humorous ad for the 2010 Terrain having been published 55 years or more after Einstein's death, it is unlikely that any viewer of it could reasonably infer that Einstein, or whoever succeeded to any right of publicity that Einstein may have had, was endorsing the GMC Terrain".

Hebrew University asked that publicity rights be extended to the 70 years associated with copyright protection. Judge Matz declined, stating "the Ninth Circuit recently noted that Marilyn Monroe considered herself to belong 'to the Public and to the world'". He also stated: "There is no evidence that Albert Einstein saw himself that way, but he did become the symbol and embodiment of genius. His persona has become thoroughly ingrained in our cultural heritage. Now, nearly 60 years after his death, that persona should be freely available to those who seek to appropriate it as part of their own expression, even in tasteless ads".[17]

Handedness

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There is a persistent popular belief that Einstein was left-handed,[18] but there is no evidence that he was, and the belief has been called a myth.[19][20] Einstein wrote with his right hand[21] and authoritative sources state flatly that he was right-handed.[20][22] An autopsy on Einstein's brain showed a symmetry between the two hemispheres, rather than a left-sided dominance as is typical of most right-handed people or a right-sided dominance as found in most left-handed people.[19]

Educational institutions

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Main article: Albert Einstein School

Several schools, colleges and universities are named after Einstein, including in Germany, Honduras and the United States.[23]

In media and drama

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Stage

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Einstein has been the subject of or inspiration for many novels, films, and plays, such as Steve Martin's comedic play Picasso at the Lapin Agile.[24] He was the subject of Paul Dessau's 1974 opera Einstein and in Philip Glass's 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach;[25] his humorous side is the subject of Ed Metzger's one-man play Albert Einstein: The Practical Bohemian.[26] He features prominently in Daniel Kehlmann's play about Kurt Gödel, Ghosts in Princeton (2011).[27]

Film

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The 1988 film Young Einstein presents a fictionalized version of Einstein’s early life. In this version, he is the son of a Tasmanian apple farmer who not only develops the theory of relativity, but also surfing and rock ‘n roll. His theory, e=mc2 is shown as method for splitting beer atoms

Einstein was portrayed by Ludwig Stössel in the 1947 film The Beginning or the End.

He was the subject (along with Arthur Eddington) of the BBC Two film Einstein and Eddington (featuring David Tennant as Eddington and Andy Serkis as Einstein, and detailing Einstein's development of his theories and Eddington's attempts to prove them)[28] and in Yahoo Serious's intentionally inaccurate biography of Einstein as an Australian in the film Young Einstein (although the movie is fictionalized).[29]

An Einstein-like character appears in Nicolas Roeg's 1985 film Insignificance. Set in New York in 1953, the film includes a scene in which "The Professor" (played by Michael Emil), the character evidently representing Albert Einstein, discusses relativity with "The Actress" (Theresa Russell), a Marilyn Monroe-like character.[30]

Einstein was portrayed by Walter Matthau in the 1994 romantic comedy film I.Q.[31]

In the 2001 film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, he was portrayed as a holographic personality called Dr. Know (voiced by Robin Williams).[32]

In the film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, he and the other bobbleheads live in the Air and Space Museum.

The 2009 film The Nutcracker in 3D includes a character named Uncle Albert (played by Nathan Lane) who resembles Einstein, speaks with a German accent, and recites Albert Einstein quotes, but is never explicitly identified as Einstein.[33]

The Star Wars character Yoda's wrinkles were modeled after Einstein's to give the impression of exceptional intelligence.[34]

In the film Back to the Future, Dr. Emmett 'Doc' Brown (played by actor Christopher Lloyd and portrayed as a brilliant scientist, time traveler and inventor) has a dog named Einstein, who is named after Brown's favorite scientist and bears a superficial resemblance to him. Lloyd also credited Einstein as being his inspiration for the character.[35][36]

In the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the Autobot Que sports an Einstein-inspired head design, including his wild hairstyle, dapper mustache, and eyes. However, his accent is often confused for being German because of these similarities. Like his G1 counterpart and Einstein alike, he is one of the most intelligent members of his team, and is an accomplished scientist and inventor. However, his onscreen name "Que" was derived from Professor Q, a James Bond character, who also inspired Wheeljack/Que's overall character.

In the 2014 CGI-animated film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Einstein only appeared in the film's climax, voice-portrayed by Mel Brooks.

Einstein was portrayed by David Shackleton in the 2018 film Holmes & Watson.

In the 2023 film Oppenheimer, Einstein was portrayed by Tom Conti.[37]

Television

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A holographic representation of Einstein (played by Jim Norton) appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He first appears to debate physics with Reginald Barclay in "The Nth Degree". Norton returns in the first part of "Descent". The episode starts on the Enterprise with a game of poker being played by holodeck representations of Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking (portrayed by himself). All are programmed by Lt. Commander Data, playing as the fourth person in the game.[38]

In Dexter's Laboratory, Einstein is boy genius Dexter's hero.

The Voyagers! episode "The Travels of Marco...and Friends" begins with Bogg and Jeff landing in New York in 1930 and saving Einstein from a potentially fatal accident.

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Einstein was played by Ed Metzger.

In Touched by an Angel, Einstein was played by Harold Gould.

In Eureka, the titular town was established when President Harry S. Truman commissioned development of a top-secret lab, staffed by Albert Einstein, after World War II and it became home to the scientists and their families working there.[39]

In the Rick and Morty episode "A Rickle in Time", time-traveling monsters beat up Einstein, whom they had mistaken for Rick Sanchez.[40]

In Genius, Einstein is portrayed by Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Flynn as the elder and younger Einstein respectively.

Einstein is portrayed by John Rubinstein in the Legends of Tomorrow episode "Out of Time" and was mentioned later in the episode "The Curse of the Earth Totem" when he got trapped in the ice age due to being displaced.

The German Netflix series Dark begins a with a quote about the perception of time by Einstein.

In 2023, the BBC produced the docudrama Einstein and the Bomb, featuring both stock footage of Einstein and dramatizations where he is played by Aidan McArdle.

Web series

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Einstein is one of the main characters in the web series Super Science Friends.

On the seventh episode of Epic Rap Battles of History, Einstein (portrayed by Zach Sherwin) faced off against Stephen Hawking (portrayed by series co-founder Nice Peter).

In literature

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Jean-Claude Carrière's 2005 French novel Einstein S'il Vous Plaît (Einstein If You Please) portrays a fictional conversation between Einstein and a student.[41]

Alan Lightman's first book, Einstein's Dreams, consists of short stories which are portrayed as being the dreams of Einstein while he was working on the theory of relativity; these stories explain how time would work in imaginary parallel universes.[42]

Novelist Jacob M. Appel's Einstein's Beach House relates a fictional battle over the settlement of Einstein's estate after his death.[43][44]

David Bodanis's book E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation describes Einstein's equation which defines mass-energy equivalence, and the other scientists before during and after his time that contributed to the understanding we have about the equation.

Marie Hermanson's Swedish crime novel Den stora utställningen (The Great Exhibition) is set during the 1923 Gothenburg Exhibition where Einstein held his official Nobel Lecture after being awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. In this fictional version of events, Einstein is the intended victim of an antisemitic murder plot and one of the viewpoint characters.

In visual arts

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See also: Bust of Albert Einstein
Bust of Einstein

In 1939, the Alley Oop comic strip introduced a time-traveling character named Dr. Elbert Wonmug, who has had several story lines in the strip ever since. "Wonmug" is a play on the English translation of the name "Einstein" -- "ein" meaning one (won) and "stein" meaning a style of drinking mug.

In 1940, Philadelphia artist Louis Hirshman created a caricature of Einstein using found objects, including a wild mop of hair, an abacus chest and shirt collar scribbled with the equation 2+2 = 2+2. In 1977, the piece was purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

In music

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In typography

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Comparison of Albert Einstein's handwriting between 1921 and 1931 and the Albert Einstein Font. The writing says "allgemeine Relativitätstheorie" German for "general theory of relativity".

Albert Einstein's handwriting has been digitised as a font in an art project by typographer Harald Geisler and dancer Elizabeth Waterhouse. The font enables the user to write like Einstein on a computer or smartphone.[50] The project was created in collaboration with the Albert Einstein Archives Jerusalem and presented in 2015 on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter where the campaign was supported by 2,334 backers.[51] Each letter of the font is based on Einstein's manuscripts, different variations of each letter are stored in the font and exchanged automatically during typing to create a natural look.[52]

The Albert Einstein font was used to reenact the 1932 letter exchange between Einstein and Sigmund Freud (published in 1933 under the title "Why War"). In 2017, at the 85th anniversary of the exchange, Harald Geisler presented the project on Kickstarter in collaboration with the Sigmund Freud Museum (Vienna) and the Albert Einstein Archives.[53] Supporters of the project could choose to either receive the letters themselves or send them to politicians typeset in the handwriting of Einstein and Freud.[54]

In video games

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Einstein is an integral character in the Command & Conquer: Red Alert series, being responsible in Red Alert for altering the course of history using a time traveling device he created to remove Adolf Hitler from existence in an attempt to prevent the horrors of World War II, inadvertently leading to the Soviet Union's rise to power and conflict with Europe. He continues to be featured in the altered timeline in Red Alert and Red Alert 2, developing time travel technology for use by the Allies, and his fictional murder at the hands of the Soviets (also involving a time machine) is a central plot point of Red Alert 3.[55]

In the original Mega Man video game, Dr. Wily's design is inspired by Albert Einstein and was initially conceived to appear as a tall, thin scientist with a mustache, glasses, balding hair, and lab coat.[56]

In Half-Life, one of the scientist models is based on Einstein's appearance.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Golden, Frederic (January 3, 2000). "Person of the Century: Albert Einstein". Time. Archived from the original on 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2006-02-25.
  2. ^ Novak, Matt (14 March 2014). "9 Albert Einstein Quotes That Are Totally Fake". Gizmodo. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Did Albert Einstein Humiliate an Atheist Professor?". www.snopes.com. Snopes. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  4. ^ Einstein "greatest physicist ever;" BBC News, November 29, 1999, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/541840.stm
  5. ^ "Princeton Pi Day & Einstein Birthday Party". Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  6. ^ yektaweb يكتاوب. "جزيره دانش - جواد عليزاده- - گالري 9". Jazirehdanesh.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  7. ^ Arida, Ayssar, Quantum City, p. 41. Architectural Press, 2002.
  8. ^ Kupper, Hans-Josef (2000). "Various things about Albert Einstein". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2006-10-04.
  9. ^ Ingledew, John (2005). "The world's best known pictures". Photography. Laurence King Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 1-85669-432-1.
  10. ^ Faber, John (1978). "Einstein's Birthday Joke". Great News Photos and the Stories Behind Them. Courier Dover Publications. p. 108. ISBN 0-486-23667-6.
  11. ^ "Photo Of Einstein Nets $74K At Auction". WCVB-TV. June 20, 2009. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  12. ^ "Einstein's Tongue Photo Just Sold for $125,000". popularmechanics.com. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Salesforce Paid $20 Million for the Face of Its AI Strategy". Bloomberg.com. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  14. ^ Miller, Ron (2016-09-18). "Salesforce Einstein delivers artificial intelligence across the Salesforce platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  15. ^ "aip.org/history/esva/einuse.htm". Archived from the original on 2005-08-30. Retrieved 2005-11-21.
  16. ^ "ALBRT EINSTEIN BRAND LOGO". Archived from the original on 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2005-11-21.
  17. ^ "GM's use of Einstein image 'tasteless' but not illegal, judge says". 18 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Left Handed Einstein". Being Left Handed.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  19. ^ a b Price, Michael (January 2009). "The left brain knows what the right hand is doing". Monitor on Psychology. 40 (1). American Psychological Association: 60.
  20. ^ a b "The Legend of the Dull-Witted Child Who Grew Up to Be a Genius". Albert Einstein archives. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  21. ^ "Chicago Tribune photograph". blogs.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  22. ^ "Frequently asked questions". einstein-website.de. Archived from the original on 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  23. ^ Margerison, Charles J. (c. 2011). Amazing scientists : inspirational stories. Merseyside, England: Viewpoint Resources. ISBN 978-1-921752-40-7. OCLC 761830489.
  24. ^ "Steve Martin backing banned play". BBC News. 2009-03-15. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  25. ^ "At the Shore, Although the Water Is Shallower" by Allan Kozinn, The New York Times, 2007-12-8
  26. ^ Richard F. Shepard (April 26, 1979). "Stage: Ed Metzger as Einstein; Genius and Pixie". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  27. ^ ""Ghosts in Princeton", a Play by Daniel Kehlmann". www.cjh.org. Center for Jewish History. Archived from the original on 2015-12-20. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  28. ^ Neil Smith (2008-07-10). "Heroes to air near to US premiere". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  29. ^ "Theoretically, it's relative". Times Daily. 1989-07-08. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  30. ^ Dennis Lim (June 26, 2011). "A Second Look: 'Insignificance'". LA Times. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  31. ^ Caryn James (January 8, 1995). "FILM VIEW; At the Cineplex It's Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  32. ^ Gary K. Wolfe (July 11, 2001). "Spielbrick Does Aldiss". Locus online. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  33. ^ Matt Singer (January 4, 2012). "This Movie Makes No Sense: "The Nutcracker: The Untold Story"". Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  34. ^ "The Making of Yoda (part one).". Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  35. ^ Ken Denmead (January 4, 2011). "Top 10 Awesome Dogs in Geek Culture". Wired. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  36. ^ Matt Gouras (June 12, 2009). "Lloyd: 'Back to the Future' still gratifying". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  37. ^ Reul, Katie (May 8, 2023). "New 'Oppenheimer' Trailer Reveals a Sad Albert Einstein, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr. and More in Christopher Nolan's Star-Studded Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  38. ^ "Einstein and Hawkins". Interview with Jim Norton. BBC. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  39. ^ Rob Owen (July 16, 2006). "TV Reviews: Oddballs populate quirky 'Eureka'". Pittsburgh Post-gazette. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  40. ^ Roller, Matt (26 July 2015). "A Rickle in Time". Rick and Morty. Season 2. Episode 1. 22 minutes in. Adult Swim. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  41. ^ Scarlett Thomas (February 19, 2006). "Please Mr Einstein by Jean-Claude Carrière trs John Brownjohn". The Mirror. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  42. ^ "Alan Lightman looks at creation from God's point of view". National Post. February 27, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  43. ^ Appel, Jacob. Einstein's Beach House Butler University 2014
  44. ^ Reutter, G Emil. Review. Fox Chase Review Nov 29 2014
  45. ^ Rob Brunner (Apr 5, 2001). "Cover Story". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  46. ^ Thomas Levenson (March 26, 2008). "Albert Einstein, Rock Star". Discover magazine. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  47. ^ Walls, Jeanette (2008-04-18). "Mariah Surpasses Elvis With Number Ones". MSNBC. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  48. ^ Mansfield, Brian (October 21, 2011). "Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger': A track-by-track-review". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
  49. ^ "Giorgos Lembesis' album Discogs entry".
  50. ^ Sloat, Sarah (3 June 2015). "Want Your Writing to Look Like Einstein's? Computers Mimic Handwriting of the Famous". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  51. ^ Harald Geisler; Elizabeth Waterhouse (3 May 2015). "Albert Einstein Font". Kickstarter. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  52. ^ Paul Hunter (9 August 2015). "Font of knowledge — Albert Einstein's handwriting turned into typeface". The Star. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.
  53. ^ Harald Geisler; Elizabeth Waterhouse (21 June 2018). "Pen Pals—Einstein & Freud Handwriting Font". Kickstarter. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  54. ^ Jennifer, Noémie (21 July 2017). "New Project Lets You Reenact Einstein and Freud's Remarkable Correspondence". Vice. VICE MAGAZINE PUBLISHING INC. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  55. ^ "Command and Conquer: Red Alert for iPhone". CIO.de. December 11, 2009. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  56. ^ R20 Rockman & Rockman X Official Complete Works (in Japanese). Udon Entertainment. March 2008. p. 193. ISBN 978-4-86233-178-6.
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