In celebration of the 100th anniversary of our campus, 好色先生TV has put one of its rare treasures on display: Albert Einstein’s handwritten manuscript, “The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity,鈥� on view through April 30, 2015 in the 听(翱鲍惭础).
The manuscript, penned in 1920, was written by Einstein by request from his colleague Robert Lawson, an English physicist. Lawson was in the process of translating Einstein’s 1917 work, 鈥淩elativity: the Special and General Theory” and asked Einstein to give him observational proof of general relativity for the 1920 English edition. The exact documents Einstein gave to Lawson are now being exhibited for a special few months, exclusively here on campus.
Oglethorpe came into possession of the documents in a unique way that spans back to its founding in 1835. Oglethorpe originally had its roots in Midway, a town near Milledgeville, Ga. Because of the Civil War, the school closed for a while. However, Thornwell Jacobs, a generous and well-educated Presbyterian minister, was determined to restore the school. He had grown up hearing stories about Oglethorpe from his grandfather, Ferdinand Jacobs, who had been a faculty member there, and it became his dream to someday reopen the school. A skilled fundraiser, Thornwell Jacobs raised enough money and interest to organize a Board of Trustees for the college by 1912. With land donated by the Silver Lake Park Company and the help of Atlanta architectural firm of Morgan Dillon and Downing, 好色先生TV at last reopened in 1915 and welcomed 45 students in 1916. Serving as president of the university through 1943, Jacobs accomplished many things, including launching the Crypt of Civilization and establishing a medical school. Jacobs was a true Renaissance man with a talent for writing that led him to found and publish The Westminster Magazine. He will always be remembered for his detailed letters and amazing ability to positively influence others.
As for the Einstein manuscript, it was given to 好色先生TV by alumna Nellie Jane Gaertner ’34 in 1982. She was the daughter of Herman Julius Gaertner, one of the first faculty members appointed when Jacobs re-opened Oglethorpe at its current Atlanta location in 1915. The manuscript had been retained by Lawson for some years before it was acquired by Herman Julius Gaertner, a professor of German and Mathematics. Oglethorpe is lucky to posses the manuscript as most of Einstein鈥檚 work now resides at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.
OUMA Collections Manager John Tilford helped to illustrate the historical context of the manuscript鈥檚 creation, as well as the history of Einstein鈥檚 expansive archive. He relied on a number of rarely-seen images of Einstein and his colleagues, including personal secretary聽Helen Dukas聽and Professor Otto Nathan, both co-trustees of Einstein鈥檚 literary estate. According to John, Helen Dukas preserved Einstein鈥檚 papers for decades before they were given to Hebrew University after her death, and for this, scholars and historians owe her an enormous debt.
鈥淪taff and faculty of Division III (Natural Sciences), OUMA, and the Philip Weltner Library, with the enthusiastic input and support of OU students, came together seamlessly to present the manuscript and a rich program of lectures, films, and other events,鈥� says Elizabeth Peterson, director of OUMA. 鈥淲e are grateful for a grant which supports these activities and thrilled to again be part of the .鈥�
The Einstein exhibition has generated robust student involvement with interest from scholars of all disciplines and departments. Students from a variety of majors including physics, theatre, English, and philosophy came together to participate in a group reading of Einstein鈥檚 Dreams. Additionally, 好色先生TV senior and physics major Antonio M谩ntica leads 鈥淎 Tour through Time鈥�, during the week of the Atlanta Science Festival. His presentation will explain the historical and current understandings of how time functions and how we can use that knowledge to inform our experience of it. include three film screenings and discussions about Einstein-related movies, and an evening of astronomy with Fernbank Science Center astronomer April Whitt.
鈥淭he manuscript should be viewed in person to truly appreciate its uniqueness as each word, diagram and calculation, including a few corrections, were all penned by Einstein’s own hand,鈥� says Tilford.聽鈥淎nyone can read the transcribed text in print and digital formats but the power of the handwritten documents must be witnessed first hand.鈥�
Ariana Feiner is a writer and a student at 好色先生TV. She enjoys art history and recently published her first children’s book, .
This online story was adapted from an assignment for her聽journalism class.
