Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Explained in One of the Earliest Science Films Ever Made (1923)

Albert Einstein developed his theory of special relativity in 1905, and then mentally mapped out his theory of general relativity between 1907 and 1915. For years to come, the rest of the world would try to catch up with Einstein, trying to understand the gist, let alone the full implications, of his groundbreaking ideas.

Above, you can watch one such attempt. Produced by Max and David Fleischer, best known for their Betty Boop and Superman cartoons, The Einstein Theory of Relativity used the power of animation to explain relativity to a broad, non-scientific audience in 1923. One of the first educational science films ever made, the silent animated film was created with the assistance of science journalist Garrett P. Serviss and other experts who had a handle on Einstein’s theories. According to a biography of Max Fleischer, the film was “an out-and-out success.” “The critics and the public applauded it. And Einstein did too, apparently deeming it an “excellent attempt to illustrate an abstract subject.”

Watch the short film above. And find it added to our collection, 4,000+ Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, Documentaries & More

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Comments (4)
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  • Ronny says:

    Interesting to watch. Thank you.

  • ron kita says:

    I will be watching this..BUT…Einstein only the Nobel Prize for the
    Photoelectric Effect. He won nothing for GR or SR- This should set up a Red Flag.
    Some in Academia claim the Nobel Prize committee was Antisemetic..well…I guess that Albert won the prize for the Photoelectric Effect during his catholic years!
    Professor RC Gupta has a paper Gravity as a secondary electrostatic force. And there is Kita US 8901943. IF one googles: Teller Electret Gravitation,one will see that Dr Teller was looking for a connection between electrets and gravity.
    Ron Kita, Chiralex
    Why no posthumous awarding of the Nobel Prize afdter his death-this “was” permitted until 1974.
    Arc deflaction of Sunlight during an eclipse by Eddington off of the ISle of Principe a mere 43 arc seconds in poor weather!

  • Omkar says:

    I am omkar my childhood was same on Einstein because I read in class 6 I ask one question but no any teacher was reply . I come on home .I am not eating and I am weping I read on very educated institute but I am poor boy. i have not money so I will not go any where my dream is santist so this is my small introduction.

  • Lev says:

    SRT is completely erroneous since it is based on the wrong kind of transformations: they have lost the scale factor characterizing the Doppler effect.
    First, Lorentz considered a more general form of transformations (with a scale factor), but then he, and also Poincare and Einstein equated it 1 without proper grounds. Their form was artificially narrowed, the formulas became incorrect. This led to a logical contradiction of the theory, to unsolvable paradoxes.
    Accordingly, GRT is also incorrect.
    For more details, see my brochure “Memoir on the Theory of Relativity and Unified Field Theory” (2000):
    http://vixra.org/abs/1802.0136

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