Planck: Driven by Vision, Broken by War

Brandon R. Brown

Max Planck, one of the most famous physicists in the world and described by Albert Einstein as "the basis of all twentieth-century physics," is credited with being the father of quantum theory. His work laid the foundation for our modern understanding of matter and energetic processes. But, until now, Planck's story was not well known, especially in the United States. All of his personal documents were destroyed in World War II, so other than his contributions to science, what remains are handwritten letters in German shorthand and tributes from other scientists of the time.

Brandon R. Brown interweaves the voices and writings of Planck, his family, and his contemporaries to create a portrait of a groundbreaking physicist working in the midst of war. The story of a brilliant man living in a dangerous time, Brandon Brown gives Max Planck his rightful place in the history of science, and shows how war-torn Germany deeply impacted his life and work.

Brown is a Professor of Physics at the University of San Francisco. His biophysics work on the electric sense of sharks, as covered by NPR and the BBC, has appeared in Nature, The Physical Review, and other research journals. His writing for general audiences has appeared in New Scientist, SEED, the Huffington Post, and others.