Albert Einstein’s connections to New York City are a bit more morbid than you might expect: His eyes are stored in a safe deposit box in the city. The story of Einstein’s remains begins shortly after his death in 1955 at Princeton Hospital, where an illegal autopsy was performed by pathologist Thomas Harvey. Harvey then sought and received permission from Einstein’s son, Hans Albert, to use the body for scientific research. Albert Einstein had specific instructions for his remains: “Cremate them and scatter the ashes secretly in order to discourage idolaters.” Clearly, the opposite had happened. Harvey preserved Einstein’s brain, while also removing his eyeballs, which he gifted to Einstein’s eye doctor, Henry Abrams. While Einstein’s brain was moved around at least seven different times, his eyeballs have had a less globetrotting route. They went from Harvey to Abrams and into the safe deposit box, where they remain today.
