The Tragedy of Mileva Maric Einstein - Einstein's First Wife

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The Tragedy of Mileva Maric Einstein - Einstein's First Wife A hundred years ago, a young married couple sat at a kitchen table talking over the items of the day while their young boy sat listening earnestly. He had heard the debate every night, and while there were no raised voices, their discussion was intense. It was a subject about which his parents were most passionate - the electrodynamics of moving bodies in the universe. The couple were of equal intelligence and fortitude, working together on a theory that few people can comprehend even to this day. Mileva Maric Einstein was considered to be the intellectual equal of her husband Albert, but somehow went unrecognized for her contributions to the 1905 Papers, which included the Special Theory of Relativity. The stronger force of these two bodies would be propelled into the archives of scientific history, while the other would be left to die alone, virtually unknown. Mrs. Einstein was robbed. She deserved to be recognized for at least a collaborative effort, but it was not to be. The role which society had accorded her and plain, bad luck would prove to be responsible for the life of this great mathematician and scientist, gone unnoticed. Mileva "was born in Hungary in 1875, with a hip deformity and a good mind" (Storey 31). Although women did not usually pursue science degrees, she had won top marks in her class for math and physics, and was sent on to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich the same year as Einstein (Grenier B05). She was one of five in their class; Mileva and Albert both specialized in theoretical physics. Mileva attended classes and took notes for both of them. They studied for every class together. When they were apart, they wrote co... ... middle of paper ... ...he Women's Rights Movement. http://legacy98.org/timeline.htmI2002. Pearson, Dan. Mrs. Einstein Takes the Stage. Science Review. 7 Nov. 2002. http://archives.pioneerlocal.com Same, William. A Beautiful Body. The Moscow Times. 29 March 2002. Sherman, Roger. Modem Physics Department, Smithsonian Institute. Personal interview.6 Nov. 2003. Specter, Michael. Know Einstein. The New Yorker. 25 Nov. 2002. Talk Section; 37. Storey, Celia. Einstein's Wife Depicts Genius as Mortal. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 21 Oct. 2003. Sec: Style;31. University of Alabama, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 4,000 Years of Women in Science. Dec. 2002 2 Nov. 2003 http://crux.astr.ua.edu/4000WS/newintro.html. White, Michael and Gribbin, John. Einstein: A Life in Science. Amazon.com: Editorial Review: Kirkus Review. 30 Oct. 2003 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos.

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