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The Breakdown
This matchup has seemed inevitable since we released the brackets, hasn’t it? We’ve already filled you in on what each of these geniuses accomplished, but it’s worth running through the list one more time before you decide who should take the title.
Einstein’s output in 1905 alone was enough for an entire lifetime of work. In that “miracle year” he published four papers that altered humanity’s understanding of physics. One explained the photoelectric effect, while another offered an explanation for Brownian motion and the first experimental proof of the existence of atoms. The third and fourth papers laid out his theories of special relativity and his famous “E equals MC squared” formula. Any one of these papers would have been an incredible Nobel-worthy triumph, and he banged out all four in a single year. When early Nazi propaganda targeted Einstein and the “Jewish physics” of relativity and forced other scientists to renounce relativity, he fled to the United States, where he eventually helped convince Franklin Roosevelt to develop the atomic bombs that would end World War II. Later in his life Israeli officials offered Einstein the presidency of their country, although he declined.
Leonardo, for his part, was just as busy. The Renaissance man felt that it was his duty to take in as much knowledge as he possibly could, so he threw himself into all sorts of studies. Works like his Last Supper and Mona Lisa show his artistic virtuosity, particularly his mastery of smoky shadows, but it’s his scientific and engineering work that really sets Leonardo apart from the crowd. When he died, Leonardo left hundreds of pages of journals detailing his observations on all sorts of natural sciences, including botany, anatomy, and zoology. His architectural studies were far-reaching and diverse, and his engineering sketches proved to be well ahead of their time, particularly his designs for flying machines, tanks, parachutes, and an early forerunner to the machine gun. Leonardo may not really have only slept for 15 minutes at a time, but with accomplishments like this, it’s easy to see how that urban legend could spread.
Which one are you going to pick as your top genius, though? Einstein, the scientific powerhouse who won the Nobel and has given us fodder for countless magazine covers? Or do you like Leonardo, the brilliant artist who managed to learn a little bit about almost everything else, too? They’re both great, but there can be only one champion.
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Comments (17)
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Gonna have to go with Einstein here. His contribution to physics overshadows anything Da Vinci has done.
posted by shadydentist on 4-6-2009 at 2:33 pm
I’m pulling for Leo! His genius spread over such wide & diverse fields–some of the greatest artwork EVER as well as his work in the science fields is SO impressive! I feel Einstein is the ‘home team’ since his pic is tied to this site. Let’s hope it goes into OT!! GO LEO!!
posted by TC on 4-6-2009 at 2:45 pm
No, I’m a Da Vinci girl all the way. Einstein’s contributions in physics are impressive, but Leonardo’s genius has touched almost all fields of human endeavor. For that, he wins my vote.
posted by Julia on 4-6-2009 at 2:46 pm
Julia, I just sent you a high five! ;-)
posted by TC on 4-6-2009 at 3:02 pm
DaVinci’s genius is that he was a master of many different disciplines. Take that E=mc2
posted by Lucky on 4-6-2009 at 3:10 pm
Oooo… it comes down to a classic “arts vs. science” battle. Except that…DaVinci has both!
posted by kate on 4-6-2009 at 3:20 pm
I think Kate’s got it — it’s down to sciences v. arts AND science. Tough call, but I’m going with da Vinci.
posted by Meghan on 4-6-2009 at 3:41 pm
This is such a tough choice. If only one of the choices was Burt Reynolds…
posted by Johnny Cat on 4-6-2009 at 4:30 pm
You gotta LOVE Einstein … but he can’t really compete with Da Vinci.
posted by Jen B on 4-6-2009 at 4:31 pm
This is a tough one. I went with Da Vinci just on the diversity of his genius. He made advances in almost every area of science and was a brilliant artist as well. He changed the way we look at anatomy, warfare, art and engineering. Einstein was definately a genius, but the gifts Da Vinci gave us are just too abundant to count.
posted by Ed on 4-6-2009 at 4:57 pm
Einstein. Yes, Da Vinci has diversity on his side, but everything was based in what I can only call the ‘the real world’ – observations of what he saw, heard, and felt. Einstein’s work went beyond the everyday things that we all see… Much of Da Vinci’s has been outdated or overshadowed by other advances, but Einstein is still referred to and his work still used by contemporaries for further work.
posted by Trevor on 4-6-2009 at 8:37 pm
It’s basically the greatest modern genius vs. the greatest genius of all time.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 4-6-2009 at 9:01 pm
Hey! Einstein is the greatest genius of all time! You can’t describe Leonardo as an Einstein without Einstein. If don’t vote for Einstein, mental_floss will cry. And there will be no more metal_floss issues. EVER. That’s my theory when Leonardo wins. But you guys will STILL regret it. Is there still next year???
posted by Karl on 4-6-2009 at 9:51 pm
leonardo all the way- his ideas and designs were completely ahead of his time.
also einstein was a total, cheating jerk who treated his wife like crap. i know that really shouldn’t count when weighing genius, but i don’t care.
posted by em on 4-7-2009 at 3:48 am
Don’t forget; Leonardo, like Einstein, was a philosopher too.
But Leonardo explained the metaphor of perspective: “Closer things are better defined, sharper and more colorful than distant things, which are hazier and posses less color.” In other words, “we can know whats near better than what’s far off.”
posted by Bill on 4-7-2009 at 9:53 am
Just a tip…for those saying they’re for “Da Vinci”- you should be saying you’re for Leonardo. Da Vinci is not his last name, it’s where he was from- a town called Vinci. Shortening his name to Da Vinci would be like nicknaming me “from Buffalo”….
posted by Kelli from Buffalo on 4-7-2009 at 2:38 pm
I’m currently reading “Fortune is a River” about Leonardo and Machiavelli, and I gotta say… Leonardo is even more of a genius than I always assumed. Every couple pages, I have to put the book down and say, “NO WAY.” His ideas are 500 years old, but they still blow my mind. Gotta love Einstein, but Leonardo did SO MANY amazing things. Architecture, urban planning, military strategy, engineering, philosophy, art… All of it ahead of his time AND recognized during his lifetime? SIGH.
posted by Shasta on 4-7-2009 at 4:45 pm