Einstein's War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious

Einstein's War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I

"Stanley is a storyteller par excellence."--The Washington Post
Kirkus ReviewÂ starred review;Â Publishers WeeklyÂ starred review;Â BooklistÂ starred review

The birth of a world-changing idea in the middle of a bloodbath
Einsteinâ€™s War is a riveting exploration of both the beauty of scientific creativity and enduring horrors of human nature. These two great forces battle in a story that culminates with a victory now a century old, the mind-bending theory of general relativity.
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Few recognize how the Great War, the industrialized slaughter that bled Europe from 1914 to 1918, shaped Einsteinâ€™s life and work. While Einstein never held a rifle, he formulated general relativity blockaded in Berlin, literally starving. He lost fifty pounds in three months, unable to communicate with his most important colleagues. Some of those colleagues fought against rabid nationalism; others were busy inventing chemical warfareâ€”being a scientist trapped you in the power plays of empire. Meanwhile, Einstein struggled to craft relativity and persuade the world that it was correct. This was, after all, the first complete revision of our conception of the universe since Isaac Newton, and its victory was far from sure.
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Scientists seeking to confirm Einsteinâ€™s ideas were arrested as spies. Technical journals were banned as enemy propaganda. Colleagues died in the trenches. Einstein was separated from his most crucial ally by barbed wire and U-boats. This ally was the Quaker astronomer and Cambridge don A. S. Eddington, who would go on to convince the world of the truth of relativity and the greatness of Einstein.
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In May of 1919, when Europe was still in chaos from the war, Eddington led a globe-spanning expedition to catch a fleeting solar eclipse for a rare opportunity to confirm Einsteinâ€™s bold prediction that light has weight. It was the result of this expeditionâ€”the proof of relativity, as many saw itâ€”that put Einstein on front pages around the world. Matthew Stanleyâ€™s epic tale is a celebration of how bigotry and nationalism can be defeated and of what science can offer when they are.
Country USA
Brand Dutton
Manufacturer Dutton
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2019-05-21
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781524745417

Country	USA
Brand	Dutton
Manufacturer	Dutton
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2019-05-21
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781524745417

Einstein's War: How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I

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