HONOURS, PRIZES AND AWARDS
The honours, prizes and awards which are listed
here shortly and in chronological order represent a great number of
further honours, prizes and awards, Albert Einstein was awarded
during his lifetime.
The author wants to thank the universities,
societies, institutes, etc. named on this site for their friendly
support.
Explanation:
Dr. h. c.
(Doctor honoris causa): honorary doctorate which is awarded by
universities.
_________________________________________________
Honours,
prizes and awards:

University of Geneva
Dr. h. c. -
awarded on July 9,
1909
_____________________
On Friday, July
9, 1909, the University of Geneva awarded Albert Einstein the honorary
doctorate on occasion of the 350th founding year of the
university. 110 persons were honored during this ceremony. Among the honored
persons were also the French chemist and physicist Marie Curie
(1867-1934) and the German chemist and philosopher Wilhelm Ostwald
(1853-1932). Einstein was awarded the honorary doctorate following the
proposal of the experimental physicist and Director of the Physical
Institute of the University of Geneva Charles Eugène Guye
(1866-1942). Einstein was present during the ceremony. On the day of the
award he wrote in a letter to Lucien Chavan (1868-1942) and his wife
Jeanne: "... I send you an affectionate greeting from the hospitable
Geneva. I am delighted about the friendliness and kindness of the people
..."
It was Chavan who had convinced Einstein to take part in the ceremony
which is connected with the award, after Einstein had, accidentally, thrown
the invitation into the "official wastepaper basket" of the Bernese
patent-office.
In his memories
concerning the end of the ceremony it says:
"The ceremony
ended with the most opulent feast that I have taken part in during my whole
life. Then I said to a patrician from Geneva who was sitting next to me: 'Do
you know what Calvin would have made if he was still alive?' As he said no,
and asked me for my opinion, I said: 'He would have erected a large pyre,
and he would have burned us all because of sinful gluttony.' The man did no
longer speak to me, and this is the last thing I can remember with regard to
the noteworthy ceremony."
Source:
"Albert Einstein - A biography" Albrecht Fölsing, Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt
/ Main, 1993
It was the
reformer Johannes Calvin (1509-1564) who had, in 1559, founded the
Geneva Academy, the predecessor of the University of Geneva.
It was Albert
Einstein‘s first honorary doctorate, but many more were to follow.

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University of Rostock
Dr. h. c. –
awarded on November 12, 1919
_____________________
On the day of
the celebration of the 500th anniversary
(Wednesday, November 12, 1919) of the University of Rostock,
Albert Einstein and Max Planck (German physicist and
Nobel laureate, 1858-1947) were awarded the honorary
doctorate.
Einstein was
awarded a honorary doctorate in medicine "in recognition
of the enormous work of his mind". In his letter of
thanks to the dean of the medical faculty Einstein wrote:
"I thank you very much for sending me the certificate which
represents your excellent taste, and for your friendly
covering letter. The wonderful celebration of your
venerable university and the heartfelt hospitality which I
was allowed to experience in Rostock will always be a nice
memory for me."
The honorary
doctorate which Einstein was awarded in Rostock is the only
one he was given in Germany!

Honorary
doctorate - certificate Albert Einstein's
Translation:
„On the day of the
celebration of five hundred years Rostock University, the
Medical Faculty awards professor
Albert Einstein, Doctor of Philosophy, the honorary
Doctor of Medicine in
recognition of the enormous work of his mind, through which
he has renewed the terms of space and time, gravity and
matter from scratch.
Rostock, November 12, 1919.
The Dean“
Illustration
Credit:
Courtesy
Universitaetsarchiv Rostock
Signature: Prom. med. Nr. 150/ 1919, Albert Einstein
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Logo of the
University of Rostock
Courtesy University of Rostock. |
Princeton University
Dr. h. c. –
awarded on May 9, 1921
_____________________
"We
greet the new Columbus of science, who travels lonesome
through the foreign seas of thinking."
The German speech held by the president and head of the
Princeton University John Hibben, began with these
words. It was held on the occasion of awarding Albert
Einstein the honorary doctorate on Monday, May 9, 1921. The
celebration took place in Alexander Hall.
Albert Einstein, who visited the
United States for the first time, accompanied
Chaim
Weizmann (1874-1952) to succeed in financing the planned
Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They stayed from the
beginning of April until the end of May. In Washington,
Einstein was welcomed in the White House by President
Warren G. Harding (1865-1923). After that he visited,
among other cities, Princeton, Chicago and Cleveland. In
Princeton he held the first of five lectures on the theory
of relativity – Stafford Little Lectures (May 9 to
May 13) after being awarded the honorary doctorate. The
lecture hall was overcrowded. Not only students and members
of the faculty, but also many curious and sensation-seeking
people were present. Einstein spoke German, so only few
people could follow his explanations. After he had finished
his speech, Einstein’s lecture was summed up in English by a
member of staff of the physical faculty. The demand for the
second and the three following lectures was no longer that
great and all the interested people found a comfortable
place.
These
lectures have been translated into English and published
entitled "The Meaning of Relativity." The German text
was published in 1922 entitled: "Four Lectures on the
Theory of Relativity."
Approximately
ten years later, the little town of Princeton, New Jersey,
should become Albert Einstein’s new home.
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University of Manchester
Dr. h. c. -
awarded on June 9,
1921
_____________________
Albert Einstein
was awarded the honorary doctorate in natural sciences in the big lecture
hall of the University of Manchester on Thursday, June 9, 1921. He was
honored by the Vice Chancellor of the University, the English mineralogist
Sir Henry Alexander Miers (1858-1942). Einstein said German words of
thanks, and also held his lecture in German language.
In its evening
edition of June 10, the Vossische Zeitung reported about the
ceremony:
"Einstein
honored in Manchester. The yesterday lecture of Prof. Einstein at the
University of Manchester was, as our London reporter says, a homage to the
German scholar. The big lecture hall of the university was filled with
approximately thousand persons who gave Einstein a warm welcome. Before the
lecture was held, the chemist Prof. Diron, who explained Einstein‘s merits,
stood up and explained that the name of the discoverer of the theory of
relativity may be mentioned next to the ones of the greatest researchers. He
had done more for the progress of the world than statesmen and conquerors.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Sir Henry Miers, then awarded
Einstein the honorary doctorate and explained that science was independent
from the blood feud between the people. Manchester was proud to be able to
honor the German scholar. Einstein then held his lecture in German. He
thanked for the honors that were awarded to him, and expressed his hope that
the demonstration would contribute to the improvement of the international
relationships.”
During the time
from June 8 until June 17, Einstein was on a lecture tour through England
(Liverpool, Manchester, London and Oxford). Politically significant was his
London encounter with the British politician Lord Richard Haldane
(1856-1928) and with Prime Minister David Lloyd Georg (1863-1945).

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Nobel Foundation,
Stockholm
Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences
Nobel Prize –
awarded on December 10, 1922
_____________________
Albert Einstein was
awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physics for the year 1921. He was
awarded the prize "for his work on theoretical physics,
especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric
effect". It is remarkable that Einstein was not awarded
the Nobel Prize for the theory of relativity.
During the
presentation of awards, the laureate is awarded the Nobel
Certificate and the golden Nobel Medal with the picture of
the founder Alfred Nobel (Swedish chemist and
industrial, 1833-1896) by the Swedish king. The prize money
is only payed when the Nobel speech has been held.
Einstein was on a
journey through Japan when he was awarded the prize on
December 10, 1922. Who should take receipt of the prize for
him? Shortly before the presentation of awards there were
still differences of opinion about the nationality of
Einstein. Was he a German or a Swiss citizen? Finally it was
the German legate in Sweden who received the prize in
Einstein’s name. Einstein himself was handed over the
document and the medal in Berlin by the Swedish ambassador
in Germany. As the statutes of the Nobel Foundation
stipulate that the Nobel laureate has to hold his Nobel
speech before he receives the prize money, Einstein still
had to wait for some time until he received the money.
Einstein held his
Nobel speech on July 11, 1923 in the Jubilee Hall in
Goeteborg in presence of the king and in front of about 2000
listeners. He spoke about "fundamental ideas and problems
of the theory of relativity". After the speech King
Gustav V had a vivid chat with Einstein.
The total amount of
the prize money - about 120.000 Swedish Krones (back then
converted about 180.000 Swiss Francs) - Einstein made
available to his first wife Mileva and his two sons Hans
Albert and Eduard.
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University of Madrid
Dr. h. c.
– awarded on March 8, 1923
_____________________
Fulfilling the traditional customs Albert
Einstein received the degree of an honorary doctor on
Thursday, March 8, 1923 - in the morning and during a
special meeting of the University of Madrid. Speeches were
among others held by the Principal of the University,
Professor José Rodríguez Carracido (1856-1928),
Professor José Maria Plans (1878-1934), a student of
the University, and the German ambassador in Madrid,
Ernst Langwerth von Simmern (1865-1942). He held his
speech in Spanish language. Albert Einstein held his
acceptance speech in German.
Einstein‘s entry into his travel log dated
March 8, 1923:
„Ehrendoktor
Aecht spanische Reden mit zugehörigem bengalischem Feuer
Lange aber inhaltlich gute Rede des d. Gesandten über
deutsch-span. Beziehungen; (aber ins) ächt deutsch. Nichts
rhetorisches. (Abends) Dann Besuch bei techn. Studenten.
Reden und nichts als Reden, aber gut gemeint. Abends Vortrag
Dann bei Kuno
1) musizieren.
Ein Künstler (Direktor des Konservatoriums
2))
Poras spielte herrlich Violine."
[“Honorary doctor Aecht Spanish speeches with
corresponding Bengal firework Long but contentwise good
speech of the German ambassador concerning German-Spanish
relationships; (however) into ächt German. Nothing
rhetorical. (in the evening) Then visiting technical
students. Speeches and nothing but speeches, however,
well-meant. In the evening lecture. Then playing music with
Kuno
1).
An artist (Director of the Conservatory
2))
Poras plays the violin – magnificent!”]
Source:
Publisher: Diana Kormos Buchwald, among others, The
Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 13,
Princeton 2012
1) Kuno
Kocherthaler, a relative of Einstein
2) Antonio Fernandez Bordas (1870-1950)
Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa were on a
lecture tour through Spain with the stations Barcelona,
Madrid and Zaragoza. They stayed in Spain from February 22
until March 15, 1923.
During Einstein‘s stay in Madrid he was
awarded the diploma of a corresponding foreign member by the
Academia de Ciencias on March 4. It was a formal
meeting under the presidency of the Spanish King.
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Order
"Pour le mérite"
admission to the
order – June 7, 1923
_____________________
On Thursday, June 7,
1923 Albert Einstein was admitted to the order "Pour le mérite". He received the medal Pour le mérite for science
and arts, with which persons were and still are awarded
"who have made themselves a name through widely spread
recognition of their work in science and arts".
The poet Gerhart
Hauptmann (1862-1946), the mathematician Felix Klein
(1849-1925), the sculptor Hugo Lederer (1871-1940)
and the painter Max Liebermann (1847-1935) were also
admitted to the order on this day.
Due to the political
situation and thus the incidents in nazi Germany, Einstein
renounced the membership to the order in 1933. An attempt of
the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor
Heuss (1884-1963), at the beginning of the 1950ies to
persuade Einstein to renew his membership was in vain.
The order Pour le
mérite for science and arts was founded by Friedrich
Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (1795-1861) in May 1842. The
first civil Order of Merit of this kind in Europe should
complete the military order of Frederick II, King of
Prussia (1712-1786, "Frederick the Great") of 1740. In
1924 it was converted into an "independent organisation of
excellent scientists and artists" with new statutes. In the
30ies the fate of the order was uncertain and its disbanding
was given a serious thought. Only through the President of
the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss, the order
was revived and again entered the public consciousness in
May 1952.
The order Pour le
mérite is nowadays regarded as one of the highest awards
in Germany, which a scientist or artist can achieved.

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Sign of the order:
Pour le mérite for science and arts
Illustration
Credit:
Courtesy Order "Pour le mérite". |
Genootschap ter Bevordering van
Natuur-, Genees- en Heelkunde
Genootschaps Medal - awarded on Dezember 13,
1923
_____________________
The Dutch
society Genootschap ter bevordering van Natuur-, Genees- en Heelkunde,
which was founded in Amsterdam in 1790, promotes and supports activities in
the areas of science and medicine. On Thursday, December 13, 1923, the
society awarded its highest distinction, the Genootschaps Medal, in the
auditorium of the Amsterdam university and thus honoured Albert Einstein
and the Dutch physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928). The list
of previous laureates contained names like for example the Dutch physicists
and Nobel Prize laureates Johannes Diderik van der Waals (1837-1923)
and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853-1926).
Albert Einstein
took personally part in the celebration taking place on occasion of the
annual meeting of the "Genootschap" on December 13. Despite acceptance of
the invitation, H. A. Lorentz did not.
In advance
there was a letter from the Board of the society to Albert Einstein, which
was dated "October 25, 1923":
„Hochgeehrter Herr Professor Einstein,
im Namen der "Genootschap ter Bevordering van Natuur-,
Genees- en Heelkunde in Amsterdam" haben wir das Vergnügen Ihnen mitzuteilen,
dass die "Genootschap" in ihrer Sitzung vom 22. Oktober 1923 Ihnen und Herrn
Professor H. A. Lorentz ihre goldene Medaille zuerkannt hat. Die Verleihung
dieser Medaillen wird am 31. Oktober 1923 in der Jahresversammlung der Gen.
in der Aula der Universität nachmittags um 4 Uhr stattfinden.
Es würde uns eine ganz besondere Ehre sein, wenn Sie der Verleihung
dieser Medaillen durch Herrn Prof. J. D. v. d. Waals, Professor der Physik
an unserer Universität, persönlich beiwohnen könnten, wie auch Herr
Professor Lorentz es uns versprochen hat. ...
Mit einer zustimmenden Antwort würden Sie uns eine besondere Freude machen.
..."
("Highly
honoured Professor Einstein,
in the name of
the "Genootschap ter Bevordering van Natuur-, Genees- en Heelkunde in
Amsterdam" we have the pleasure to inform you that the "Genootschap" has
awarded you and Professor H. A. Lorentz its golden medal in its meeting
dated October 22, 1923. The presentation of these medals will take place in
the annual meeting of the Gen. in the auditorium of the university on
October 31, 1923 at 4 pm.
It would be a very special honour for us if you could personally attend
to the presentation of these medals by Prof. J. D. v. d. Waals, professor of
physics at our university, like also Professor Lorentz has promised to do. ...
You would specially please us if you sent us a positive answer. ...“)
The
presentation date which is mentioned in the letter seems to have been
postponed.

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Royal Society of
London
Copley Medal –
awarded on November 30, 1925
_____________________
Albert Einstein was
awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal Society in London in a
ceremony on Monday, November 30, 1925. As tradition has it,
the highest award of the society was handed over during its
annual celebration. In 1925 the celebration took place in
Burlington House, Piccadilly, in London. At the annual
celebration the Royal Society awarded also other medals and
prizes.
Einstein was awarded
the Copley Medal by the English neurophysiologist Sir
Charles Sherrington (1857-1952), the retiring president
of the society. The presentation of the medal was one of the
last official actions of Sherrington. After the presentation
of the medals he handed over the position of the president
after one term of office (five years) to the British
physicist from New Zealand, Ernest Rutherford
(1871-1937), from 1931 on Lord Rutherford of Nelson.
Some of the people
who were awarded the Copley Medal before and after Einstein
were the German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss
(1838), the British physicist Sir William Thomson
(1883), from 1892 on Lord Kelvin of Largs, the Dutch
physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1918), the German
physicist Max Planck (1929), the Danish physicist
Niels Bohr (1938) and the English physicist Paul A.M.
Dirac (1952).
Sir Geoffrey
Copley made money available to
the Royal Society to promote scientific work (1709). A few years
later the Copley Medal was suggested:
"…a medal or other
honorary prize should be bestowed on the person whose
experiment should be best approved…"
The English
physicist Stephen Gray (1666-1736) was awarded the
first Copley Medal in 1731. The medal consists of silver and
gold. It was and still is awarded for special scientific
work.
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Royal
Astronomical Society
Gold
Medal – awarded on February 12, 1926
_____________________
Some weeks after
Einstein had been awarded the Copley Medal of the Royal
Society in London, he was awarded another prize in England.
This time the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) awarded him,
also in London, its highest award, the Gold Medal. The Gold
Medal was awarded for special performance in the field of
astronomy. It is still awarded by the RAS, which also awards
the Eddington and the Herschel Medal.
It was not possible
for Einstein to receive the Gold Medal personally. In a
letter of thanks which he had written before the award he
wrote to the RAS: "…He who finds a thought which lets us
look into the secret of nature - even if only a little bit
deeper - has won mercy. He who then still experiences the
recognition, sympathies and promotion of the greatest
persons of his time almost obtains more luck than a human
being is able to bear. In this consciousness I thank you in
humble attitude for the great award you judged I deserve. I
would like to come to you personally to receive the Medal
awarded to me; but unfortunately I am not able to…"
Already in 1919 the
RAS had, on proposal of the English astronomer and
astrophysicist Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-1944),
decided to award Albert Einstein the Gold Medal for the year
1920. But "patriotic" members of the RAS prevented this. The
result was that no medal was awarded in 1920. Einstein still
had to wait for six years until he received the highest
award of the RAS.
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Gold Medal
Illustration
Credit: Courtesy
Royal Astronomical Society. |
German Physical
Society
(Deutsche
Physikalische Gesellschaft, DPG)
Max-Planck-Medal –
awarded on June 28, 1929
_____________________
On occasion of the
Golden Jubilee honorary degree awards of Max Planck
(German physicist and Nobel laureate, 1858-1947) the
Max-Planck-Medal was founded by persons, societies and
companies due to an appeal of famous scientists.
It was firstly
awarded on June 28, 1929. The laureates were Max Planck
himself and Albert Einstein. The medal for Einstein was
presented by Planck personally. The award which consists of
a golden medal with the portrait of Max Planck and a
hand-written document was and still is awarded by the German
Physical Society for excellent performance in the field of
theoretical physics.
In his speech in the
overcrowded big Physical Lecture Hall of the TU (Technical
University) Berlin, Einstein especially thanked his friend
and supporter Max Planck.

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Max-Planck-Medal
Illustrations
Credits: Courtesy
German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
e.V.), Bad Honnef.
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University of Paris
Dr. h. c. -
awarded on November 9,
1929
_____________________
On Saturday,
November 9, 1929, the University of Paris awarded Albert Einstein the
honorary doctorate in the hall of the Sorbonne. The principal of the
university, the French historian Sébastien Charléty (1867-1945),
awarded Einstein the honorary doctorate diploma.
On November 12,
the Vossische Zeitung reported about the ceremony what
follows:
"Einstein
honorary doctorate of the Sorbonne. From Paris we hear: In the large
amphitheater of the Sorbonne there was, on Sunday evening, under the
chairmanship of the principal Professor Charléty and in the presence of the
whole scientific and intellectual Paris, a festive presentation of the
honorary doctorate and the insignias of an honorary doctorate of the
University of Paris for Professor Albert Einstein. The dean of the faculty
for mathematics and natural sciences, Professor Maurain, celebrated the
merits and the work of Einstein in a speech which the audience interrupted
through minute-long applause. Einstein stood up and thanked with a bow. The
applause was even longer when the principal awarded Einstein the doctorate
diploma and covered his shoulder with the “Robenschleife” in the colors of
the city of Paris. The ceremony was also attended by the German ambassador
v. Hösch, with whom Professor Einstein stays during his visit in Paris."
The dean of the
faculty for mathematics and sciences, who is mentioned in the article, was
the French geophysicist Charles Honoré Maurain (1871-1967). The
German ambassador in Paris was Leopold von Hoesch (1881-1936).
Einstein‘s stay in Paris began on November 7 and ended on
November 14. During his stay he held two lectures in the Institute Henri
Poincaré and took part in a meeting of the Académie des sciences
and the academic society Societé française de Philosophie.

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ETH, Zurich
Dr. h. c. – awarded on November 7, 1930
_____________________
On occasion of the
75th anniversary of the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology Zurich (Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule, ETH), Albert Einstein was awarded the
Honorary Doctorate of Science in a ceremony on Friday,
November 7, 1930. The nomination was initiated by the
department of mathematics of the ETH.
In the letter of the
nomination it said: "To the completer of classical
physics in the theory of relativity and the pioneer of
quantum physics, its former student and teacher, in
recognition of his excellent scientific performance and in
thankful remembrance of his work which he performed for
Switzerland and the college."
The honorary
doctorate of his Alma mater surely meant a lot to
Albert Einstein.
From October 1896 to
July 1900 Einstein had studied at the ETH and from October
1912 to March 1914 he worked there as full professor for
theoretical physics.
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ETH, ca. 1905
Illustration
Credit: Courtesy
Bildarchiv
ETH-Bibliothek, Zurich.
 |
Oxford University
Dr. h. c. – awarded on May 23, 1931
_____________________
In May 1931 Albert
Einstein travelled to England to hold the Rhodes Lectures
(Cecil Rhodes, English politician, 1853-1902). This
was a honorary task for him. During his stay he received the
Honorary Doctorate (Dr. h. c.) of Science on Saturday, May
23, 1931 by the Oxford University which was founded in the
12th century.
At the
presentation ceremony the "Public Orator" of the university
held his speech, as tradition has it, in Latin. He ended
with the words:
"…Hanc qui
tandem ad homines detulit, insigne nostri saeculi decus, vobis
praesento, Albertum Einstein, Scientiae Physicae in
Universitate Berolinensi Professorem, ut admittatur ad
gradum Doctoris in scientia honoris causa."
Source:
Oxford University Gazette, June 3, 1931
Translation:
"…Now I present
the persons to you who have given us this theory: the fine
specimen of our century, Albert Einstein, professor for
physics at the TU (Technical University) Berlin, who shall
receive the degree of a honorary doctorate."
After the award,
Einstein held his third and last lecture of the Rhodes
Lectures. In the overcrowded Rhodes House he
lectured in German about the "Latest development of the
theory of relativity". The room was crowded with
honorary guests and members of the university, who had
presented themselves in full regalia. Some places in the
gallery were made available to the public.
Einstein had held
his first lecture on "The theory of relativity" on
Saturday, May 9 and the second one on the "Cosmologic
problem" on Saturday, May 16. The board Einstein used
for his second lecture was, provided with Einstein’s
handwriting, kept and can be seen today in the Museum of
the History of Science in Oxford. It shows calculations
referring to the expansion of the universe and details about
its age.
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Blackboard with Einstein's handwriting
Illustration
Credit: Courtesy
Museum of the History of
Science, University of Oxford.
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Yeshiva College, New York
Dr. h. c.
– awarded on October 8, 1934
_____________________
On Monday, October 8, 1934, Albert Einstein
received in a ceremony the degree of an honorary doctor
(Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa) of the Yeshiva
College in New York, USA.
Einstein had approved of the award of the
degree of an honorary doctor in a letter to the College
dated September 1, 1934. Dr. Bernard Revel
(1885-1940), the first President of the Yeshiva College in
New York, USA, which was founded in 1928, welcomed the
attendees to the ceremony on occasion of the award of the
degree of an honorary doctor, which at the same time was the
official beginning of the academic year 1934/35.
After the award of the degree of an honorary
doctor Einstein held his acceptance speech.
He spoke in
German: „Es erfüllt mich mit besonderer Freude und
Genugtuung ..." ["It is my special pleasure and
satisfaction…“].
Further speakers were among others the Governor of the
Federal State of New York, Herbert Henry Lehman
(1878-1963), and Herman Bernstein (1876-1935), editor
of the Jewish Daily Bulletin.
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Franklin
Institute, Philadelphia
Franklin Medal – awarded on May 15, 1935
_____________________
On Wednesday, May
15, 1935 Albert Einstein received the Benjamin Franklin
Medal (Benjamin Franklin, American politician, author
and scientist, 1706–1790) in a ceremony. It was awarded in
recognition of his fundamental contributions to theoretical
physics; especially for his theories of relativity and his
work on the photoelectric effect.
The Franklin Medal
is one of the highest awards of the Franklin Institute. It
was and still is awarded for special performance in the
field of science and the arts. The Franklin Institute also
awards other medals than the Franklin Medal.
In the ceremony,
which took place in the evening at the Franklin Institute in
Philadelphia, USA, not only the two Franklin Medals, but
also five Longstreth Medals and seven Wetherill Medals were
awarded. Einstein did not hold any speech.
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Benjamin Franklin Medal
Illustration
Credit: Courtesy
Franklin Institute Online. |
Harvard
University
Dr. h. c. –
awarded on June 20, 1935
_____________________
In 1935 Albert
Einstein received a new honorary doctorate, this time by the
most traditional and most important university of the USA,
the Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was
Thursday, June 20, 1935 when he was awarded in a ceremony
the Doctor of Science in a ceremony. The president of the
university, J.B. Conant, said in a speech about Einstein:
"…Acclaimed
by the world as a great revolutionist of theoretical
physics, his bold speculations, now become basis doctrine,
will be remembered when mankind`s present troubles are long
forgotten…"
Source: Harvard
Alumni Bulletin, July 5, 1935
At the same time
like Einstein, the German author Thomas Mann
(1857-1955) was honoured. He was awarded the Doctor of
Letters. About Mann, Conant said in his speech: "… Novelist
of rare distinction, an interpreter of life to many in the
western world, one of the few contemporary guardians of the
great tradition of Germany culture ..."
Source: Harvard
Alumni Bulletin, July 5, 1935
Like Einstein, Mann
and his family had also emigrated to the USA in 1933. Both the emigrants
received long lasting applause from the people present at
the presentation of awards. Thomas Mann later
stated in a letter to his publisher that his and Einstein’s
honorary doctorate "had not been possible without any
interference of president
Roosevelt".
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Campus, Harvard University,
ca. 1935
Illustration
Credit: Courtesy
Harvard University Archives.
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