Everyone recognises Albert Einstein’s likeness, whether they be Europeans or Asians, adults or children, scientists or people who have nothing to do with physics. “The engineer of the universe”, as one child once called him, is an icon – he is one of the most well-known personalities of the 20th century. He was able to explain the universe like no one before him and no one since. What is it that fascinates us about this brilliant scientist? What continues to make Albert Einstein so interesting for many people today?

Einstein himself remarked that it was the mystery of not understanding that attracted many people to his theories. These talk about invisible particles, distant stars and the entire universe – things which people have dreamt about for thousands of years. Einstein contemplated questions which are difficult to understand, such as four dimensions, which can only be understood as a single unit. He thought about stars which are not where they appear to be; about clocks which go slower with the speed of light; about energy as mass. Only few people were able to follow him when he talked about his theories. But, Einstein was right!

But that is not all. The Einstein myth is also based on his life and his personal manner. The story of Einstein’s life slumbers in our collective subconscious as that of a boy who had problems with his teachers and the German school system, but who nevertheless developed to become an outstanding scientist. Einstein’s personality continues to fascinate us today. He was politically active, being more pragmatic than programmatic, and he did not seek personal advantage. He thought about religion and philosophy, about social and political shortcomings.

Many of his political ideas were radical and so unswerving that the policymakers of his time could make very little use of them. But he was, and still is, respected for this unconventional and unfaltering attitude. Albert Einstein became the symbol of a socially responsible scientist worldwide.