This photo of the great scientist Albert Einstein is more than 70 years old. This photo is one of his most famous photos in the world. Let’s know its story.
March 14, 1951 was the day. The occasion was Albert Einstein’s 72nd birthday. The world famous physicist was born in the city of Ulm, Germany. But for many years he was living in America. At that time Einstein worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
A special birthday event was organized in his honor at the Research Center itself. There was an influx of media persons outside the venue. When Einstein came out, the journalists wanted to talk to him. The world famous professor was also known for speaking in his special funny style on all the subjects of the world including politics and philosophy. And apparently the photographers also intended to take pictures of him on the occasion of his birthday.
But Einstein had no interest in appearing in the media. He also wanted to refrain from giving his opinion on many issues. In view of all this, he was a bit annoyed to see the gathering of media there. But since it was his compulsion to get out of there, he went and sat on the back seat in a long limousine car.
Einstein stick out his tongue?
On one side of the seat sat his former director of the institute, Frank Adelett, and on the other, Adelett’s wife, Mary. Despite all the efforts to avoid the camera, the flash bulbs kept flashing on Einstein’s face.
It is said that he repeatedly shouted to a reporter who asked him to make a statement, “Enough is enough…” But then a reporter called out “Hey Professor, smile for a birthday photo. , Please.” Fed up with this, Einstein teased his mouth by taking out his tongue in his independent style.
This was the moment that photographer Arthur Sass captured in his camera. This very different photo very soon reached different parts of the world from America. Later on, it was counted in Einstein’s most memorable photo.
There are many tales of professors who are often lost in themselves. From his messy hair, to his habit of forgetting to wear socks at times. But Einstein, a scientist with extraordinary intellectual ability, who gave the theory of relativity, had gained a lot of fame throughout the world as a distinguished person during his life. After taking out this funny photo, he got the status of a pop icon.
The interesting thing is that the photographer who took this picture did not have much role in spreading it around the world. In fact, Einstein did not want the adult couple to be seen in such a photo of him, so he himself ordered countless prints of that photo, cut them so that the other two people were not visible, and then dozens of such photos to his coworkers, friends and to know. Sent those.
Sending this photo to a friend of his, Yohanna Fantova, he wrote, “This protruding tongue is like my political opinion.” In 2009, an original copy of his signed photo sold at auction for $74,324. With this, it became Einstein’s most expensive photo.
Einstein was born in Germany to a Jewish family but fled Germany to America during the Nazi era. He was aware of the pain of being tortured and targeted by governments and powerful people. This was the reason that he reacted very carefully to many political issues like the Cold War. But he loved speaking about man and his follies, such as: “Two things are infinite – the universe and the stupidity of man. But I can’t say for sure about the universe right now.” Or “The decisions of fools cannot be changed because on the one hand they are so many in number and secondly their voice is as important as ours.”
This picture of 1951 has been printed millions of times since then. T-shirt, poster, mug or mural everywhere. And even after so many years of leaving this world, there is no dearth of fans for his work from child to old, his contribution to science, his philosophy and open-mindedness.
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