Albert Einstein Memorial facts for kids
The Albert Einstein Memorial is a large bronze statue. It was made by sculptor Robert Berks. The statue shows Albert Einstein sitting down with papers in his hand.
You can find this memorial in central Washington, D.C., USA. It's in a small group of trees at the National Academy of Sciences. This is near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. There are also two copies of this statue. One is in Israel, and the other is in Georgia, USA.
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About the Memorial
The Albert Einstein Memorial was officially shown on April 22, 1979. This was a special day because it was 100 years since Einstein was born. The memorial is in a pretty grove of elm and holly trees.
At the opening, a scientist named John Archibald Wheeler spoke. He said the statue honors the man who helped us understand space and time. He also mentioned that Einstein taught us the universe started with a "big bang." Many tourists visiting Washington, D.C., like to take pictures with the statue.
The statue shows Einstein sitting in a relaxed way on a three-step bench. This bench is made of white granite. The bronze statue itself weighs about 4 tons. It stands 12 feet (about 3.6 meters) tall. The whole monument is held up by strong foundations that go deep into the ground.
The sculptor, Robert Berks, made the statue. He was famous for making statues of people. He had sculpted Einstein from real life in 1953. This was when Einstein lived in Princeton. The beautiful garden around the statue was designed by James A. Van Sweden.
Einstein was a very important scientist. He became a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1922. This was the year after he won the Nobel Prize in physics. He became a full member in 1942, after becoming an American citizen.
Robert Berks made two copies of this memorial. One copy is in the garden of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The other is at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Platform
The statue and its bench sit on a round platform. This platform is 28 feet (about 8.5 meters) across. It is made of a special granite from Norway.
On the platform, there are more than 2,700 small metal studs. These studs show the exact locations of objects in space. This includes the sun, moon, planets, and many stars. They show where these objects were at noon on April 22, 1979. That was the day the memorial was opened.
The studs are different sizes. This shows how bright the space objects appear from Earth. Different types of studs also show things like binary stars (two stars orbiting each other) and galaxies. Astronomers from the United States Naval Observatory made sure the positions were correct. You can also find familiar constellations marked on the map. This makes them easy to spot!
If you stand in the middle of the platform, it looks like Einstein is looking right at you. Also, if you speak, your voice sounds louder.
What You Can Read on the Memorial
On the papers in the statue's left hand, you can see three important equations. These equations summarize some of Einstein's biggest scientific ideas:
(This is about the theory of general relativity. It explains how gravity works.)
(This equation is for the photoelectric effect. It explains how light can knock electrons out of a material.)
(This is Einstein's most famous equation! It shows that energy and matter are connected. It means a small amount of matter can turn into a huge amount of energy.)
Behind the statue, on the back of the bench, there are three famous quotes from Einstein. These quotes were chosen to show his sense of wonder, his honesty in science, and his care for fairness. They say:
- "As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance, and equality of all citizens before the law prevail." (This shows he believed in freedom and fairness for everyone.)
- "Joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world of which man can just form a faint notion ..." (This shows his wonder about the universe.)
- "The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true." (This means it's important to always share what you learn, especially if it's true.)
In Popular Culture
- The statue was shown in the opening of the TV show Sesame Street during its 20th season.
- Once, a copy of the memorial made entirely of chocolate was displayed at a hotel in Washington, D.C.
- In July 2012, an artist named Olek covered the entire statue in a colorful crocheted wrap. This is a type of street art called "yarn bombing."
See also
In Spanish: Monumento a Albert Einstein para niños
