Abraham Pais
A physicist who survived the Holocaust to become a masterful biographer of Einstein and a chronicler of 20th-century science's inner world.
1918–2000 (age 82)·Dutch-American physicist and science historian·Birthday: May 19·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Abraham Pais lived a life divided by the cataclysm of World War II, a schism that shaped his unique perspective on science. He completed his PhD in the Netherlands just as the Nazis barred Jews from universities, and spent years in hiding before a narrow escape from deportation and death. This harrowing experience lent a profound depth to his later work. After the war, his physics career flourished alongside giants; he worked intimately with Niels Bohr in Copenhagen and later shared the halls of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton with Albert Einstein. While a respected contributor to particle physics, Pais found his true calling as a historian. He possessed an insider's grasp of the science and a novelist's eye for character. His biography of Einstein, 'Subtle Is the Lord,' is revered not just for its scientific clarity, but for its human portrait. Pais became the essential scribe of modern physics, translating the complex ideas and personalities of Bohr, Einstein, and others into narratives that revealed the human drama behind the equations.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Abraham was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Abraham Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Abraham's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2000Died at 82
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
Key Achievements
- Authored 'Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein,' widely regarded as the definitive scientific biography of Einstein.
- Made significant contributions to particle physics, including the concept of associated production which helped explain the properties of strange particles.
- Won the prestigious Andrew Gemant Award from the American Institute of Physics for his contributions to the cultural aspects of physics.
- Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences for his work in both physics and the history of science.
Did You Know?
He was arrested by the Nazis in 1945 but was freed from the Gestapo prison in Amsterdam only because the local resistance intercepted the order for his deportation.
Pais was present at the famous 1946 Shelter Island Conference, a pivotal meeting for the development of quantum electrodynamics in the US.
He coined the term "charm quark" for a fundamental particle, though the discovery was made by others years later.
His autobiography, 'A Tale of Two Continents,' details his life in science and his experiences during the war.
““Experiences in life are not divisible into scientific and nonscientific ones.””
