The World's Two Greatest Theoretical Physicists, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, Share a Significant Day (Today)

The two famous physicists in their own changed the way we see the universe, share this Day, March 14th.

Today is the 142nd birthday of the great German-born theoretical physicist and mathematician, Albert Einstein.

Einstein suffered from a mild case of Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, as well as attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Einstein, of course, developed the theory of relativity and the mass equivalence formula: E=mc2. By the age of 26, he had published four ground-breaking papers: Photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy. He would go on to publish more than 300 scientific papers. He was visiting the U.S. when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933; being Jewish, he did not want to return to Germany, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen.

Coincidentally, March 14th also marks the day legendary scientist Stephen Hawking passed away, in 2018, after suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—a rare slow progressing neurodegenerative disease for more than five decades. He was 76.

Best known for his work on black holes, Stephen Hawking theorized that contrary to the prevailing scientific belief that black holes were inescapable for all forms of matter and energy, they actually emitted a form of radiation - now known as Hawking radiation.

The discovery of gravitational waves in 2016 – deemed as the breakthrough of the century – confirmed Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Gravitational wave echoes, in turn, seem to confirm Stephen Hawking's hypothesis of quantum black holes.

Stephen Hawking was considered one of the greatest theoretical physicists since Einstein. If there were a pantheon for mind-bendingly brilliant minds, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein would certainly qualify. Their remarkable theories were transformative in the world of physics, and both are lauded as luminaries.

Hawking occasionally expressed the regret he’d never met Einstein, who died when Hawking was 13.

In a figurative sense, though, the two did indeed “meet,” because other similarities abound...

Both Einstein and Hawking married twice in their lifetimes.

Both Hawking and Einstein were interested in the vastness of space, black holes, wormholes, and time travel. However, Einstein looked at things from a relativistic point of view while Hawking focused more on quantum physics.

Their ultimate common aim was Unification of Physics. Einstein spent his last resources for a much bigger theory including a single fundamental equation which could explain everything which existed, but he failed. All his life Stephen Hawking attempted the same.

Both scientists deemed one of their ideas the “biggest blunder” they had made. For Einstein, that blunder was the cosmological constant he introduced into equations for general relativity. For Hawking, the blunder was supposed “information loss” in black holes.

Both of them were interested in the same mind blowing topics like black holes, wormholes, time travel, and other things that routinely escape us mere mortals.

Both men had IQs of about 160, but they also both had a great sense of humor—also considered a sign of high intelligence. Einstein was known for his childlike sense of humor, and he also claimed that humor powered his intellect. When a photographer persuaded Einstein to smile during his 72nd birthday, he stuck out his tongue, creating one of the most iconic pictures of all time.

Hawking was known for his incredible sense of humor as well. Everyone from classroom students to celebrities like John Oliver, fondly remember Hawking's amazing one-liners that underscored his genius.

Stephen Hawking played a key role in the mathematical effort to unify Einstein’s general theory of relativity with the emergent field of quantum physics.

Incidentally, these two brilliant leaders share this day—Pi Day, no less!

Pi Day, if you didn’t already know, celebrates the mathematical constant π (3.14). It’s celebrated in countries that follow the month/day (m/dd) date format, because the digits in the date, March 14 or 3/14, are the first three digits of π (3.14).

Both Einstein and Hawking passed away when they were 76 years old.

One last thing—if all of that weren’t enough—Hawking's birth on January 8, 1942 coincides with the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo.

Whatever the coincidences, in a figurative sense at least, it seems there is a “Looped Continuum” and cosmic thread that binds everything together.

And you know, when we look back at the tragedy and chaos of the past year, there's something oddly comforting about that....

On his 70th birthday, Stephen Hawking said, "However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up."

#OTD #History #Physics #Hawking #Einstein #Galileo