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CalTech like a number of American Universities had (1) World class scientists who were making contributions to physics and cosmology of interest to Einstein, (2) members of the Caltech physics faculty who were emigries from Germany and central Europe (many fled Nazi persecution) and knew and were friends of Einstein or respected his work and (3) Pasadena CA his much nicer winters and sometimes summers than lets say Princeton New Jersey or Boston MA or Chicago IL.
During Einstein's time at CalTech in the 1930's he became friends with Charile Chaplin and attened the opening premiere to City Lights at the Los Angeles Theater on Broadway. Einstein was the guest of honor.
They still have the picture of Chaplin and Einstien together at the premiere in the theater's lobby.
Cool - which Einstein biographies have the most material about being in America?
Had no idea he knew Chaplin.
BTW Chaplin shot two films in Pasadena - The Kid and The Great Dictator.
Why did Einstein come to CalTech for three winters - what did CalTech have that Princeton didn't have?
Warmth. It's a great school for physics, to be sure, but the weather in Pasadena probably had a lot to do with his choice. He did eventually settle in Princeton permanently (the city, not the University) at the Institute for Advanced Study.
One might ask a similar question as to why Dirac went to Florida State and "The U" after leaving Cambridge. The answer there would be different--his daughter lived in Florida.
According to his biography, it wasn't so much about what Princeton didn't have or what Caltech had; it was more about who Einstein wanted to see, his obligations and the situation in Berlin at the time, though Princeton and Caltech were competing fiercely in getting Eintein in as their permanent member.
His first visit to Caltech in early 1931 was arranged by Arthur Fleming, chairman of the Board of Trustee of the Caltech at the time. It was Richard Chase Tolman, a professor of physics at Caltech, that Eintein really wanted to meet and discuss with in person since he was the one handling the work at Mount Wilson Observatory concerning the size and nature of the universe. MWO was important to Einstein as it, among other observatories, helped him to confirm whether the light rays were bent by the sun by observing the eclipse of 1914.
Arthur Fleming clearly had maintained a good relationship, if not a friendship, with Einstein. He invited Einstein to visit Caltech for the second time and proposed to make his visits a regular thing by giving Einstein a permanent appointment which Einstein had accepted. He even gave up his own splendid apartment for Einstein's visit at the end of 1931.
Einstein's third visit to Caltech in 1933 was simply fulfilling his obligation of his appointment. Also, at the time the situation in Berlin had become less favorable for him to stay continuously. He needed to leave Germany to another country as soon as he could. Visit to Caltech in the US provided him a right opportunity.
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It's Caltech, not CalTech
