Happy Birthday, Ernst Mach! Today we celebrate the life of a man whose name is not only synonymous with the speed of sound but also with some rather unusual personal habits.

Ernst Mach was a man of many talents. He was a physicist, a philosopher, and even an amateur psychologist. But perhaps his most famous contribution to science was his discovery of the speed of sound. Mach’s work on shock waves revolutionized our understanding of how sound travels through different mediums. His experiments showed that sound moves at different speeds depending on the medium it travels through, whether it’s air, water, or something else entirely.

But let’s be honest, what really sets Mach apart from other scientists is his penchant for bizarre behavior. Mach was known for his peculiar habits and quirks, such as refusing to wear socks or using a ruler to measure the temperature of his soup.

In fact, Mach’s idiosyncrasies were so well-known that they even earned him the nickname “The Last Ape.” But despite his odd behavior, Mach was still a brilliant mind in the scientific community.

However, not everyone was a fan of Mach’s work. The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, for example, famously criticized Mach’s ideas as “nonsense on stilts.” Ouch.

But even with his critics, Mach’s legacy lives on. His work on the speed of sound and his influence on the philosophy of science continue to shape our understanding of the world around us.

So, as we celebrate the birthday of Ernst Mach, let us not only remember his contributions to science but also his strange quirks and habits. Because let’s face it, science could always use a little more eccentricity. Happy Birthday, Ernst Mach!