DC is full of many characters, but none as surprising as this bronzed genius sitting on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences near the National Mall. I came across this statue of Albert Einstein on a photo walk with a friend -- one of my favorite days in DC. It was a surprise to turn the corner and see him sitting there, manuscripts in hand and surrounded by an engraving of the night sky. Three of Einstein's quotes are etched on the platform. This one is my favorite:
As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance, and equality of all citizens before the law prevail.The quote reminds us that Einstein, a German Jew, sought refuge in the United States due to the rise of the Nazis. It was his warning to President Roosevelt about Germany's intention to develop the atomic bomb that launched the Manhattan Project in 1939 and our own building -- and using -- the first one.
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