The Magical Mysteries—and Histories—of Physics: A Conversation with Historian Alexander Blum

When Alex Blum was growing up in the Black Forest region of Germany, he was consumed by what some might consider an unusual pastime: reading fantasy books and trying to reconstruct the implicit histories of the characters in detail. In the 11th grade, his attention shifted when he was introduced to physics—an interest that would later converge with his passion for history and define his career path. “I did not know what was going on at all,” says Blum, remembering his first physics exam.