In 1918, German theoretical physicist Max Planck won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of energy quanta.
After winning the prize, he went on a tour, giving lectures at universities and institutions around the country on his findings.
There’s an apocryphal story from that tour that I first came across while reading the transcript of Charlie Munger’s 2007 commencement speech at USC Law School.
Max Planck’s chauffeur, after having heard Planck practice and deliver the talk so many times, had the entire thing memorized.
He jokingly asked Planck if he could deliver it at the final lecture.
Surprisingly, the physicist agreed...
•••
This episode brought to you by: