Albert Einstein's brain was smaller than average, weighing 2.71 pounds (1,230 g) compared with 2.95 pounds (1,336 grams) for the average adult male's brain, which has led researchers to determine that brain size is not what contributed to Einstein being a genius. One study of Einstein's brain found that his parietal lobes, the area of the brain responsible for mathematics as well as visual and spatial cognition, was 15% wider than average. After his death in 1955, Einstein's brain was photographed, and researchers study the photos rather than the actual brain, which is stored in 240 pieces.
More about Einstein:
- Einstein was denied security clearance by the US Army for work on developing the atomic bomb in 1939, which is thought to have been because of his extreme political views at the time.
- A popular myth is that Einstein failed math in school, but it has been found that he had mastered college-level physics by age 11.
- Einstein was asked in 1952 by the President of Israel if he would be willing to be president of the country, but Einstein declined the offer.