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by pkoird·3y ago·view on hn ↗
The search for a unified theory of physics was not unique to Einstein and thousands after him have continued to look for it still. The only "failures", so to speak, of his would arguably be the Cosmological Constant or his denial of the Quantum Mechanics. But, given how profoundly bizzarre these phenomena are, not even the greatest of Physicists can blame him for having doubts, much less you or I.
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They were comparing later Einsten to young Einsten, not to the rest of us. Most of the discoveries you listed earlier came during the "miracle year" in his mid 20s. The remaining one (general relativity) came about ten years later, though it's the one that made him really famous. That's more than probably every other physicist so maybe it's unfair to keep ask what he did next. But it makes sense that lots of early success can lead someone to overreach and reduce their later accomplishments. Didn't Feynman say something like that regarding the negative effect of the Nobel prize on physicists.