Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as
the greatest scientist of the 20th century. He proposed the theory of
relativity and also made major contributions to the development of
quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and cosmology. He was
awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the
photoelectric effect and "for his services to Theoretical Physics."
After his general theory of relativity was formulated, Einstein became
world-famous, an unusual achievement for a scientist. In his later
years, his fame exceeded that of any other scientist in history, and
in popular culture, Einstein has become a byword for great
intelligence or even genius. His is also one of the world's most
recognizable faces.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1689:
The Convention Parliament was convened to determine if James II, the
last Catholic king in England, had vacated the throne when he fled to
France in 1688.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England)
1818:
Led by General Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile formally proclaimed its
independence from Spain.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile)
1909:
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of
the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations, was
founded.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP)
1912:
Xuantong Emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, the last Emperor of
China, abdicated.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuantong_Emperor)
2001:
NEAR Shoemaker became the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, the
Eros.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we
begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see
more, not less." -- Arthur Miller
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller)