Albert Einstein was highly overrated

Albert Einstein was highly overrated. Continuing some reading from earlier on Philo Farnsworth (an article in Time magazine dated 1999.03.29), I read a blurb on Einstein, who they named "Person of the Century". Runners up were Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose socialist programs bloated the government with little socio-economic benefit, and Ghandi, an eminent person, to be sure, but I find it hard to appreciate non-technological achievements. If there's one person who shaped the 20th century, it was Tesla. Without Tesla's work perfecting the alternating current dynamo and proliferating AC at his personal expense, none of the achievements of the last century would've been possible. It's even more cruelly ironic is that a foul person like Edison, who achieved much less than Tesla and who did all he could to prevent AC from being adopted, is remembered whereas Tesla is not (by most people).

Anyway, Einstein wasn't all peachy. He left his first wife, Mileva Maric, who bore him three kids, for another woman. Even better was that their first child was out of wedlock—Einstein had a bastard kid. (Did they have rubbers back then?!) Strangely enough, Maric was an acquaintence of Tesla's, and it's widely debated how much she contributed to Einstein's work. Einstein wasn't terribly distinguished in academia, so it wouldn't be surprising if she were much more than a sounding board. This documentary by PBS allegates that not only did Einstein have an affair with his first cousin, who he later married, but had other extra-marital affairs. Further, after Einstein left Maric, his science never was on par with what it once was. Coincidence?

I never really liked Einstein anyway, for reasons I could never put my finger on. One reason is people often associate Einstein with the development of the atomic bomb whereas Einstein had nothing to do with it. The relevation of Einstein's personal weaknesses gives me reason to dislike his character, and the mystery surrounding his first wife gives doubts about the origin of his work. Incidentally, I've read that Tesla didn't really care for Einstein; possibly it's because of the way Einstein treated his friend. History is twisted.