4 Everyday Items Einstein Helped Create

In addition to his work on relativity, the physicist laid the scientific foundations for paper towels, lasers, and more common products.

Albert Einstein is justly famous for devising his theory of relativity, which revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. Relativity also showed us that matter and energy are just two different forms of the same thing—a fact that Einstein expressed as E=mc2, the most widely recognized equation in history.

But relativity is only one part of Einstein’s prodigious legacy. He was equally inventive when it came to the physics of atoms, molecules, and light. Today, we can see technological reminders of his genius almost everywhere we look. (Also read “10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Einstein.”)

Here are a few of the everyday products that showcase Einstein’s contributions to science beyond relativity.

Credit for inventing paper towels

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