102 years of E=mc²

Exactly 102 years ago, on September 27th, 1905, Einstein published his paper

Does the inertia of a body depend upon its energy-content?

that introduced the well-known formula, E=mc². More precisely, you can see if you click that the formula doesn't appear in this or similar form. The closest thing that you find there is this sentence:

If a body gives off the energy L in the form of radiation, its mass diminishes by L/c²

The form "E=mc²" of his insight is a matter of marketing but it is a good marketing. However, it is good that the people who invented this marketing trick didn't present themselves as co-authors. ;-)




Can Einstein be blamed for Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Well, a little bit. Look at this provocative sentence ;-) in his article:

It is not impossible that with bodies whose energy-content is variable to a high degree (e.g. with radium salts) the theory may be successfully put to the test.