Albert Einstein’s brain was taken by the opportunistic pathologist who performed his autopsy hours after he died and kept in two jars for 30 years.
The stolen brain of Albert Einstein was preserved in a cookie jar for 30 years until being discovered by a journalist.
Albert Einstein’s brain became a prized possession after his death as a result of his world-famous genius. Albert Einstein’s brain was stolen and an autopsy was done on him just hours after he died on April 18, 1955.
While Einstein’s son was first upset, he eventually agreed to allow the doctor, Thomas Harvey, to transfer the brain to researchers who wanted to see if the physicist’s genius stemmed from a physically different brain.
That tortuous, decades-long search has brought some controversial results, maybe at the expense of the Einstein family and the genius himself.
Thomas Harvey stole Albert Einstein’s brain.
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany, and left an incomparable legacy, from knowing Charlie Chaplin to escaping Nazi Germany and revolutionizing physics.
Many scientists speculated that his brain might be physically different from the typical human mind because he was revered all around the world for his brilliance. So when he died of a ruptured aorta in Princeton Hospital at the age of 76, Thomas Harvey took his brain from his body right away.
Harvey “had some great professional ambitions based on that brain,” according to Carolyn Abraham, author of Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein’s Brain.
Harvey not only stole Albert Einstein’s brain, but also the physicists’ eyeballs, which he handed to Einstein’s ophthalmologist.
On April 20, the rest of Einstein’s body was burned in Trenton, New Jersey, and his son, Hans Albert Einstein, discovered Harvey’s actions. He eventually consented to research the brain, but only on the condition that the findings be published in prestigious scientific journals.
Harvey went on to record and photograph the brain in great detail. He reportedly weighed it at 1,230 grams, which was lighter than the average for guys his age. He then chopped the brain into 240 bits, photographing them and commissioning a painting of them.
Harvey stated that his motivation was entirely scientific, and he drove the brain across the country in order to donate bits of it to interested scientists. The clever pathologist even provided samples to the United States Army.
“They believed that having it would put them on a level with the Russians, who were collecting their own brains at the time,” Abrahams explained. It was a thing that people were gathering brains.”
Harvey’s obsession with Albert Einstein’s brain, on the other hand, cost him not only his position at Princeton but also his medical license and family.
Harvey moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he kept the brain in a cider box behind a beer cooler, to the shock of one writer in 1978. The first research of Einstein’s brain was released in 1985 after word got out, with contentious results.
Was It Really That Different From The Average Mind?
The first investigation of Albert Einstein’s stolen brain, published in Experimental Neurology in 1985, indicated that it did indeed appear physically different from the average brain.
The genius was said to have a higher-than-average number of glial cells, which keep the brain’s neurons oxygenated and therefore active.
A further study published in 1996 by the University of Alabama at Birmingham claimed that these neurons were also more densely packed than typical, allowing for faster information processing.
Further analysis of Harvey’s images three years later suggested that Einstein’s inferior parietal lobule was wider than typical, suggesting that he was a more visual thinker than others.
In 2012, research stated that Einstein’s brain has an additional ridge in the mid-frontal lobe, which is connected with planning and remembering.
However, some question this research, such as Pace University psychologist Terence Hines, who described them as “neuromythology.”
“You can’t take just one brain of someone who is different from everyone else – and we pretty much all are – and say, Ah-ha!” he said strongly. ” I’ve discovered what makes T. Hines a stamp collector.”
Hines isn’t the only one who is skeptical. “I don’t know if Einstein was a genius because his parietal lobes were different,” neurologist Dr. Frederick Lepore, who collaborated on the 2012 study, said. ‘Where is special relativity?’ you could ask if you placed my feet to the fire. We have no idea where general relativity came from.”
Despite the fact that most of Einstein’s brain was returned to Princeton Hospital, the issue regarding its particular is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. However, other slides of the legendary organ were donated to medical organizations.
Before his death in 2007, Thomas Harvey gave the rest of Einstein’s brain to the National Museum of Health and Medicine, with samples of his own on display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.
The Amazing Truth About The German U-Boat That Was Sunk By A Toilet
During WWII, a German captain and an engineer flushed the submarine's high-tech toilet incorrectly, causing the vessel to rapidly fill with water. British planes patrolling the sea attacked them as the submarine was brought to the surface. While many members of the crew were killed in the attack, the captain escaped!
Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.
The Day an Israeli F-15 Landed with One Wing: Zivi Nedivi’s Unbelievable Mid-Air Survival
Discover the astonishing true story of Israeli pilot Zivi Nedivi, who safely landed an F-15 after a mid-air collision tore off its entire right wing. Learn how skill, quick thinking, and the F-15’s unique design turned a disaster into a legendary feat in aviation history
Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related
These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.
How Sleep Deprivation Was Once Used as Torture
Sleep deprivation, long before modern interrogation techniques, was considered a “clean” and effective form of torture—leaving no physical scars, yet breaking minds with haunting silence. Victims endured days and nights without rest, leading to vivid hallucinations, disorientation, and psychological torment. This article traces the dark history of sleep deprivation as a weapon, examines the science behind its effects on the brain, and shines a light on the painful balance between human endurance and cruelty in the annals of coercion.
1972 Andes Plane Crash Survivor recall the terrifying Struggles to Stay Alive
On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The survivors were in brutal conditions - high altitude, bitter cold, and the lack of food—and faced the most terrible choice—eating the frozen flesh of their dead friends or starving to death themselves.
Why This Belgian Bar Makes You Trade Your Shoe for a Beer
To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.
Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination that sparked World War I
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The killings sparked a chain of events that led to the eruption of World War I by early August.
How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.
How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.
How Cleveland's Balloonfest in 1986 Turned Into a Public Tragedy
In Cleveland, Ohio, United Way broke the world record by deflating nearly 1.5 million balloons as part of a publicity stunt to raise money. The balloon obstructed a US Coast Guard search for two boaters who were subsequently discovered to have drowned, blocked airport runways, and blocked land and waterways.
The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.
story of the youngest mother in the world at age of five - Lina Medina
Lina Medina, a five-year-old Peruvian girl, became the youngest mother in history in 1939 when she gave birth to a boy.
Mother who spent entire life savings for daughter’s cancer treatment won the lottery
A mother won $2 million from a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket after she spent all of her entire life savings to pay her daughter’s cancer treatment. She bought the winning ticket after her daughter’s last cancer treatment.
how Ferris wheel invented
In 1891, Chicago challenged engineers to create a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower for the World's Columbian Exposition. George Washington Gale Ferris jr. responded with the original Ferris Wheel, a giant rotating structure elevating visitors above the city. This invention became an iconic attraction at the fair.
Atomic Tourism: In the 1950s, nuclear tests in Las Vegas served as a draw for tourists
Between 1950 and 1960, Las Vegas offered “Atomic Tourism” in which guests could watch atomic bombs being tested in the desert as a form of entertainment.
Max Headroom Incident: America’s Creepiest TV Hack
In 1987 a man hijacked a television station during an episode of Dr. Who and wore a Max Headroom mask and uttered nonsense, and he still hasn’t been caught
Remembering the miracles of the 1985 Mexico earthquake (unbelievable stories)
In 1985, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, nearly all newborn babies survived a collapsed hospital. They are known as “Miracle Babies” for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.
New London School Explosion, Deadliest school disaster which killed almost 300 children and teachers
In 1937, a gas leak in the basement at the local school in New London, Texas caused a massive explosion which killed almost 300 children and teachers, the deadliest school disaster in US history. Adolf Hitler even sent his condolences by telegram.
Nicholas Winton ‘British Schindler’: Man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazis
A man named Nicholas Winton saved 669 kids during WWII and lived almost all his life without letting people know.
The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Hedy Lamarr, A Hollywood actress who also a mathematician and inventor
Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr was also a mathematician and the inventor of frequency hopping spread spectrum, a technology still used for bluetooth and wifi
