He teaches Civil Engineering at Duke. Einstein's name as a physicist was too large to be overwhelmed by all his book and essay writing. It's easy to forget his serious first-class work in the Swiss patent office, or that he received royalties on his own engineering inventions during most of his life. Like sex, politics, death, or good poetry, it defines us too intimately. It has the vulgarity of anything that touches us profoundly.
Additional information is available on the matters referred to in the text above.
See Episodes 110 and 112 for material on Nevil Shute. Episode 339 deals with Thoreau's work on developing the lead pencil. For material based on Petrosky's work see Episodes 132 and 769 . Episode 524 deals with Einstein as an inventor. Episode 382 mentions Thomas Paine's iron bridge.