Scientific American – On June 3, 2015 – Vilhelm Bohr talked about his famous grandfather’s life, including the relationship with Einstein, at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada…
“I just found these two letters here that I thought would be interesting to just highlight. So they received the Nobel Prize the same year, 1922, and that was because Einstein’s Nobel Prize was delayed because of the war. Niels Bohr was writing to Einstein how deeply honored he is to get the Nobel Prize at the same time: ‘I’m sending my warmest congratulations on the occasion of you receiving the Nobel Prize. You have received so many recognitions, and this may not be of great importance to you, but it also brings such useful monetary award. For myself it brings the honest honor and happiness that under these circumstances I shall receive this honor at the same time as you. I know how little I have deserved this compared to your enormous contribution.’
“And there’s a handwritten letter from Einstein to Bohr from the ship on the way back from Japan. It says, ‘Dear beloved Bohr, your affectionate letter reached me shortly before my departure from Japan. I can say without exaggeration that it pleased me as much as the Nobel Prize. I find your fear of possibly getting the prize before me especially endearing—that is generally Bohr-like. Your new analysis on the atom accompanied me on my journey and my love for your mind has grown even more. Warm regards to a happy reunion in Stockholm, from Einstein.’”
– Vilhelm Bohn
