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poliphilo ([personal profile] poliphilo) wrote2010-11-06 09:33 am

Einstein In Love

Einstein was a bit of a klutz when it came to his personal life- but aren't we all? There was a first marriage that eventually ran into the sand, a daughter born out of wedlock who is untraceable (she probably died in infancy) and a second marriage to a cousin. Later- I gather though I haven't got that far in the record- there were carryings-on. His love letters- where they have survived- are as toe-curlingly embarrassing as anybody else's. 

He was a goodish father and a loyal friend.

[identity profile] ron-broxted.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
His daughter died in a mental asylum.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
I don't think so.

We simply don't know what happened to his illegitimate daughter Lieserl- but the likeliest thing is she died in infancy.

His stepdaughter Ilse died of leukemia in 1934- in her sister Margot's apartment.

Margot outlived her stepfather, dying at home- according to the NY Times obituary- in 1982.

[identity profile] ron-broxted.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure I read that somewhere. I recall his last words were in German but the nurse only spoke English.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
You're right about the (not so) famous last words.

[identity profile] shanghai7.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Was it something mundane like "I'm thirsty"? Or "The central equation of relativity has the following errors..."?

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2010-11-06 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
We'll never know- which is a shame.

He was working right up until the end. When he died there were several pages of equations beside his bed, as well as the draft of a radio address he was scheduled to deliver to the people of Israel on their Independence Day.

[identity profile] ron-broxted.livejournal.com 2010-11-07 10:34 am (UTC)(link)
He had a schizo relationship with Judaism.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2010-11-07 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
That's right. He kept phasing in and out. He said, "You can take a snail out of its shell but it's still a snail".