Original Theory of Relativity manuscript goes on display
The Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem has opened a rare exhibition showing for the first time ever the complete original manuscripts of Albert Einstein’s historic General Theory of Relativity.
The special exhibit, which opened on Sunday to mark the jubilee of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, features all 46 pages of the original manuscript of Einstein’s magnum opus, the Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity.
Written in 1916 at his home in Berlin, the original German manuscript was donated by Albert Einstein to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on the occasion of its inauguration in 1925.
The manuscript on display represents the most important revolution in the understanding of the universe in modern times – a revolution in the way we perceive space, time and gravity. The general theory of relativity brought about new insights on the structure of the universe and its development and predicted the existence of the black holes. Its importance is not only of a theoretical nature, but also has practical implications: the theory initiated technological developments of great importance, such as the determination of exact locations on earth by means of a GPS and the monitoring of spaceships in space.
The exhibition,which is being held by courtesy of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was inaugurated by the president of the Academy, Prof. Menahem Ya’ari, and the president of the Hebrew University, Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson. Conservation aspects such as temperature, humidity and lighting were taken into account during the preparation of the exhibition, says curator Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund.
By taking a close look at the original manuscript “one can almost look over Einstein’s shoulder while he was at work – his elegant handwriting, the corrections and equations, the erasures and additions,” said Gutfreund. “The comments that are added to numerous pages shed light on Einstein’s basic ideas, the challenges he faced and the difficulties he encountered, as well as on the significance and the conclusions of what may be considered the ultimate intellectual accomplishment produced by the brains of one human being.”
Presidents and heads of science academies throughout the world, including England, Estonia, the United States, Germany, India, Taiwan, Japan, China, Poland, France and Sweden, visited the exhibition as part of a special conference honoring the Academy’s jubilee.
The exhibition, which will be on display at the Academy of Sciences and Humanities at 43 Jabotinsky Street through March 25, is the opening event of the National Science Week held around Albert Einstein’s birthday.
The Academy was founded by law in 1961 and among its members today are 98 high-ranking Israeli scientists, including 40 Israel Prize laureates.
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Shofar Info
Has the document been digitally scanned so the public can see the document online, for those who cannot travel to Jerusalem? Thanks for the opportunity to see such an important piece of history.