Dr. Einstein's First Public Address at Princeton

Summary

There was a small auditorium, that I estimated would hold about 200 people, located in the center of the ground floor of Fine Hall (Princeton University's mathematics building). It was furnished with comfortable fold-up theater seats and a small stage with a blackboard. I was informed that the auditorium was used by occasional visiting scholars to give lectures to interested brethren. It seemed to me, with the Institute for Advanced Study based at the University (the Institute did not have its own buildings at that time), the little auditorium would be an ideal place for regular bi-weekly meetings at which Institute members, and others, could describe some of the work which engaged them. The idea took hold, but, like such ideas, where the innovator is catapaulted into the chairmanship of the new concept, I found myself saddled with the task of securing the first speaker.

Thinking the matter over it occurred to me that Dr. Einstein, fresh on the Princeton campus, would be an ideal first speaker. I accordingly broached the matter to the great scientist. After a bit of squirming, he said, “I don't know anything those people wouldn't already know.” “Would you consider a suggestion?” I asked him. “Oh, yes,” he replied, “If you can think of something suitable I would certainly consider it.”

Now the reason I was at Princeton was that at Harvard I had specialized in differential geometry, under Professor Graustein, a fine geometer and chairman of the Harvard Mathematics Department.