1-157-737 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Prize offered in Scientific American, (New York,1920) for an essay on Einstein's theory of relativity. Einstein (1879-1955) was travelling in the United States at this time. His theory of relativity is regarded by many as the most important theory in the history of physics. The special (1905) and general (1916) theories of relativity proved the concept that time does not exist at the same rate for everyone and everything. Special Relativity produced the equation which expresses the equivalence between matter and energy: E=mc squared. In 1921, Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics. His Jewish origins meant that he had to leave Germany during the Nazi period, emigrating to the USA and taking American citizenship.