Thread by @PhysicsToday

Albert #Einstein’s neat cursive has achieved pop culture status: A letter he wrote featuring the E = mc² equation recently sold for nearly $1.25 million at auction. But Einstein’s handwriting is also a microcosm of his turbulent life, argues @_rdahn [1/5] physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.…

Einstein actually employed a different type of German handwriting early in his life. Called Kurrent script, it looks quite different than the Latin cursive still taught in some English-language schools today. [2/5]

Credit: Der Damen-Briefsteller, 1866/Public Domain

Einstein switched from Kurrent script to Latin cursive in 1905—the same year he published his annus mirabilis papers. Part of the reasoning behind his decision was surely practical: Foreign scientists could read German, but they often struggled to read Kurrent. [3/5]

But Physics Today’s @_rdahn suggests that Einstein’s decision to stop using Kurrent was probably also made for political reasons: Around 1900, that script became associated with German nationalism, which Einstein vehemently opposed. [4/5]

For more on how Einstein’s handwriting related to his political leanings, check out the full article [5/5] physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.…