From: Jacob Zabicky (zabicky$##$bgumail.bgu.ac.il)
Date: Sun Oct 10 1999 - 05:14:42 EDT
Dear George,
Yes, as a chemist, but not alone:
What about Ingold, Robinson, Haber, Pauling, Olah, Carothers, Ziegler and
another score to stay only in the realm of hard core chemistry; bring in
Krebs, Abderhalden, Watson, Edman, and two-score more to extend to
biochemistry. With these you'll have an ample field to chose from the
chemist of the century. However, personally I'll feel unable to pick up one
of them as the most outstanding. On the other hand, if you ask people from
the public at large to mention a few scientists of this century, then
you'll probably find that Einstein outranks by far all the others. Why
should that be?
Imho several factors might have contributed, not necessarily in any order
of priority:
1. His contributions in all the fields he touched are of the highest quality.
2. His most important contributions were scientifically and philosophically
revolutionary.
3. The theory he developed in item 2 received a very pictorial and easily
rmembered name, THEORY OF RELATIVITY. Who but the initiated remembers the
Woodward-Hoffmann Rules?
4. He used his prestige to influence the decisions of the USA President to
embark in a development project of inexistent nuclear weapons. Such
develpment marks one of the turnpoints of history. This shouldn't be taken
as a negative point againt Einstein. By the time the first atomic bombs
were tested Nazi Germany was quite advanced in the development of her own
nuclear devices, which undoubtedly would have been used against her
victorious enemies. However, USA beat them in the race.
5. His portraits at all ages are very impressive; those during his
Princeton days are magnificent and well known all over the world.
So, I wouldn't try to demote Einstein if he was chosen as the best of them all.
All the best,
Jacob
>Hello all, perhaps the start of a good topic....
>
>ABC World News is doing a series called The Century. A few nights ago,
>they said something to the effect that many people think Albert Einstein
>was the most important (scientific) figure in the 20th Century.
>
>I don't want to sound prejudice, but I think Robert Burns Woodward as
>being up there as well; at least a close 3rd or 4th.
>
>Cheers!
>
>--
>George D. 'Merlin' McCallion, Research Chemist
>Department of Anesthesiology
>The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
>Post Office Box 143
>Bala-Cynwyd, PA 19004-0143
>
>Office: 1.215.590.6894
>Fax: 1.215.590.4443
>Email: medchem$##$home.com
>
>
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