New Post Series: Einstein's Travel Diaries

Einstein became an overnight celebrity in November 1919 upon the sensational press coverage of the confirmation of his general theory of relativity, following the astronomical observations of a solar eclipse. The popular dissemination of his theories, his desire to forge closer ties with members of the international scientific community, political unrest in Germany, his involvement in the Zionist movement, and his curiosity to explore distant lands all led Einstein to undertake a number of overseas tours. Prior to his meteoric rise to fame, he had only visited a few countries within Europe, most notably the Netherlands and France. However, during the 1920s and the early 1930s, he embarked on a series of ocean voyages – to the USA, the Far East, Palestine, Spain, South America, and the USA again. Travelling within Europe he often wrote postcards and occasional letters to his wife and stepdaughters, detailing his experiences. Sea travel afforded Einstein the leisure to note down impressions of his trips, the interesting individuals he encountered, and the events he attended in meticulously kept travel diaries. These notebooks are among the most fascinating and revealing documents we have penned by Einstein. In spite of his hectic schedules during his tours of these countries, he always found time to record his experiences. As the diaries were intended to eventually be read by his relatives back in Berlin, one can view them as long letters directed homewards.
In the following months we plan to post a series of short pieces on Einstein's travel diaries and the observations he made during his international trips. The first post in this series presents Einstein's journey to the Far East, Palestine, and Spain in late 1922 and early 1923. It was prepared as an exhibit for the Google Cultural Institute; find it here.