Thank you for a fascinating piece. I have often taught my students that they must differentiate between myth, legend, and fact, adding that even facts (e.g., "historical" facts) may be unreliable. Moreover, tales that fall into the category of "blatant misconceptions."
I must, however, share one Einstein story that SEEMS to be true. He was a passionate violinist and often joined professional musicians for chamber music. However, he often failed to keep a steady beat. His metrical lapses apparently spawned anecdotes (attributed to Kreisler, Rubinstein, and others), the punch lines of which were generally, "Can't you even count?" or "Can't you count: one, two, three, four?" and/or words to that effect. Go figure!
It's amazing what people will refuse to believe, and their reasons for not believing it. I worked for a trade magazine that hosted an annual conference. Our keynote speaker one year was one of the astronauts who walked on the moon (I forget which one). A couple of people in the audience accused him of being part of a conspiracy to fake the moon landings, and he basically told them that he didn't care whether or not they believed it because it didn't alter the facts or affect anyone in any way that was important.
Thank you for a fascinating piece. I have often taught my students that they must differentiate between myth, legend, and fact, adding that even facts (e.g., "historical" facts) may be unreliable. Moreover, tales that fall into the category of "blatant misconceptions."
I must, however, share one Einstein story that SEEMS to be true. He was a passionate violinist and often joined professional musicians for chamber music. However, he often failed to keep a steady beat. His metrical lapses apparently spawned anecdotes (attributed to Kreisler, Rubinstein, and others), the punch lines of which were generally, "Can't you even count?" or "Can't you count: one, two, three, four?" and/or words to that effect. Go figure!
That wouldn't surprise me. I've read that Einstein was fascinated by music and movies. He went out of his way to meet Hollywood stars.
My grandmother never believed people walked on the Moon. I used to tell her that if that stuff was fake, the images would be better!
It's amazing what people will refuse to believe, and their reasons for not believing it. I worked for a trade magazine that hosted an annual conference. Our keynote speaker one year was one of the astronauts who walked on the moon (I forget which one). A couple of people in the audience accused him of being part of a conspiracy to fake the moon landings, and he basically told them that he didn't care whether or not they believed it because it didn't alter the facts or affect anyone in any way that was important.