Access provided by Stanford University []
Browse Book and Journal Content on Project MUSE
OR
Browse > Science, Technology, and Mathematics > Philosophy of Science
title

Albert Meets America

How Journalists Treated Genius during Einstein's 1921 Travels

edited by J

Publication Year: 2006

In 1919, newspaper headlines said that a British expedition had confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. The news stirred the public imagination on both sides of the Atlantic and thrust the scientist into the spotlight of fame. Two years later, Chaim Weizmann led a fund-raising mission to the United States and invited Einstein to join it. The mission traveled to New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Hartford to campaign for public awareness and support of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This brought Einstein within the grasp of the American media. His lectures delivered in New York, Princeton, and Chicago, and comments on the Jewish presence in Palestine, made Einstein, on his first trip to America, one of the first media stars. In Albert Meets America, József Illy presents a fascinating compilation of media stories of Einstein’s tour—which cover his science, his Zionism, and the anti-Semitism he encountered. As we travel with Einstein, from headline to headline, we experience his emotional connection with American Jews and his frustration at becoming world famous even though his theories were not truly understood. This exciting collection gives readers an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the world’s first modern celebrities and a unique understanding of the media's power over both its subject and its audience.

Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press

Contents

pdf iconDownload PDF (53.8 KB)
pp. vii-viii

read more

Foreword

pdf iconDownload PDF (72.9 KB)
pp. ix-xiii

When chided for agreeing to make his first trip to the United States as part of a Zionist delegation, rather than as a representative of German science, Einstein replied to his colleague Fritz Haber, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry: ...

read more

Preface

pdf iconDownload PDF (66.8 KB)
pp. xv-xvii

When Einstein joined Chaim Weizmann’s tour of the United States in 1921 to gain support among American Jewry for the Zionist cause, his role was to raise funds for the establishment of Hebrew University. Although news coverage of the trip frequently focused on Weizmann’s fierce disputes with the leaders of American Zionism, ...

read more

1 Antecedents

pdf iconDownload PDF (46.7 KB)
pp. 1-

The first official step taken by the World Zionist Organization to request Einstein’s help in fostering the cause of Hebrew University in Jerusalem was a letter written by Hugo Bergmann on October 22, 1919. Bergmann asked Einstein to join a fundraising mission to the United States for the Palestine Foundation Fund (Keren Hayesod).1 ...

2 To Visit America (February 21–April 1)

pdf iconDownload PDF (221.4 KB)
pp. 2-12

3 Prof. Einstein Here (New York, April 2–3)

pdf iconDownload PDF (319.2 KB)
pp. 13-43

4 City’s Welcome (April 5)

pdf iconDownload PDF (153.8 KB)
pp. 44-49

5 Freedom of City Is Refused (April 5)

pdf iconDownload PDF (78.6 KB)
pp. 50-56

6 Freedom of the City Is Given (April 8)

pdf iconDownload PDF (105.6 KB)
pp. 57-72

7 Fervid Reception (April 10–12)

pdf iconDownload PDF (158.7 KB)
pp. 73-91

8 Demonstrates with Chalk (April 15–18)

pdf iconDownload PDF (97.8 KB)
pp. 92-102

9 Defines the Speed of Light (April 18–23)

pdf iconDownload PDF (309.2 KB)
pp. 103-131

10 Puzzles Harding (Washington, April 25–26)

pdf iconDownload PDF (197.3 KB)
pp. 132-139

11 Speaks for Proposed Zionist University (New York, April 27–May 1)

pdf iconDownload PDF (82.5 KB)
pp. 140-145

12 Baffled in Chicago (May 2–8)

pdf iconDownload PDF (188.8 KB)
pp. 146-159

13 Princeton Hears Einstein Explain (May 9–14)

pdf iconDownload PDF (569.6 KB)
pp. 160-208

14 Sees Boston (May 17–18)

pdf iconDownload PDF (359.3 KB)
pp. 209-250

15 Push Hebrew Medical Work (New York, May 19–21)

pdf iconDownload PDF (202.4 KB)
pp. 251-255

16 Coming to Hartford (May 22)

pdf iconDownload PDF (136.1 KB)
pp. 256-280

17 Professor Einstein and the Hat (New York, May 23)

pdf iconDownload PDF (142.5 KB)
pp. 281-283

18 To Be in Cleveland (May 25–26)

pdf iconDownload PDF (306.8 KB)
pp. 284-305

19 To Greet Einstein (Philadelphia, May 29)

pdf iconDownload PDF (63.7 KB)
pp. 306-308

20 Sails Today (New York, May 30)

pdf iconDownload PDF (132.7 KB)
pp. 309-314

21 Aftermath (Berlin, June 27–August 24)

pdf iconDownload PDF (127.6 KB)
pp. 315-334

Notes

pdf iconDownload PDF (52.3 KB)
pp. 335-338

Bibliography

pdf iconDownload PDF (67.2 KB)
pp. 339-342

Index

pdf iconDownload PDF (227.4 KB)
pp. 343-345


E-ISBN-13: 9780801891663
E-ISBN-10: 0801891663
Print-ISBN-13: 9780801884573
Print-ISBN-10: 0801884578

Page Count: 320
Illustrations: 16 halftones, 7 line drawings
Publication Year: 2006

Research Areas

Recommend

UPCC logo

Subject Headings

  • Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955 -- Public opinion.
  • Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955 -- Travel -- United States.
  • United States -- Description and travel.
  • You have access to this content
  • Free sample
  • Open Access
  • Restricted Access

Welcome to Project MUSE

Use the Search box at the top of the page to find book and journal content. Refine results with the filtering options on the left side of the results page. Use the Browse box to browse a selection of books and journals.

Connect with Project MUSE

Project MUSE | 2715 North Charles Street | Baltimore, Maryland USA 21218 | (410) 516-6989 | About | Contact | Help | Tools | Order

©2013 Project MUSE. Produced by The Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Milton S. Eisenhower Library.