Many people often wonder what Albert Einstein sounded like. Sure you could read his books and hear stories about the man, but apart from the few times you see him mentioned and featured on TV, it's hard to get a real understanding of the man behind the theory of relativity.
Now, 100 years since he wrote about the theory of relativity and 50 years after his death, the British Library has released a fascinating CD of some of his speeches including two that took place in London during the 1930s.
In less than a minute, we hear Einstein talk about the famous equation E=mc2 from a recording he made in 1947.
Then on track 3, Einstein talks of the problems happening in Nazi Germany to an audience in London in 1930. This was for a fundraising event at the Savoy Hotel which was organised by ORT and OZE to help support Jews in Europe. Also taking part at this event was the writer Bernard Show with HG Wells in the audience.
On track 4, Einstein is once again in London, this time at the Royal Albert Hall in 1933 and spoke at a mass rally for the Refugee Assistance Fund to help those fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe.
As a insight into the man, this is fascinating as it provides a rare opportunity to be able to hear both in English and German how he spoke and the passion behind his voice.
For both historians and the public, it provides a opportunity to not only understand Einstein better (if that can be possible) but also to discover more about what people where saying at the time, especially of pre-war Germany.
Listening to Einstein is like being taken through a journey of discovery and its wonderful that the British Library was able to discover these recordings and release them for all to hear.
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