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The programme of events began on 27 June, on the eve of the inaugurations, with an academic address at the auditorium of the University of La
Laguna by the renowned cosmologist Professor Steven Weinberg with the title
‘ORIGINS’. This Nobel laureate and celebrated author of The First Three
Minutes gave us quite a few problems. For a start, he insisted on staying at the
same hotel as the heads of state, on the grounds that, being Jewish, he was at
risk from terrorists and therefore needed the same level of security as the heads
of state. Quite naturally, it occurred to the chief of security that, if Weinberg
really were such a magnet for terrorist attempts, he was himself a security risk
and would need to be accommodated as far away as possible from the heads
of state.
When he arrived at the University of La Laguna and saw German flags at
the entrance and he said he would not speak in the presence of ‘Nazi’ symbols.
This was a serious upset because the auditorium was full to the brim. We told
him firmly and politely that there were certainly no Nazi symbols present, and
that Germany was a signatory country to the international agreements that
supported the Observatories about to be inaugurated. Regardless of these hiccups, Weinberg went on to deliver a brilliant talk.
The last straw came when, now back in Texas, Weinberg received the previously agreed emolument for his talk; he rang us and caused a scene. In the
background, we could hear him arguing with his wife, who was shouting that
the money received was not enough and was an insult to such a prominent
personality, and that we needed to remember that we were dealing with no
less a person than a Nobel laureate. Eventually he calmed down and accepted
the payment.
On the island of Tenerife, the King and Queen of Spain, accompanied by
the other dignitaries, inaugurated the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in
La Laguna and re-inaugurated Teide Observatory. There was a delightful
moment at the ceremony held at IAC headquarters in which the then Prince
of Asturias, the adolescent Don Felipe de Bourbon, was named ‘Honorary
Astrophysicist of the IAC’. We knew of his childhood love of astrophysics and
his wish to have graduated in that discipline. It was a very solemn ceremony.
A decorative dais had been erected for the heads of state and royal families to
be seated. Facing the dais, in the patio of the Library, there was a stand for the
invited guests. The Prince was handed a certificate of the title and a decorative
symbolic sash of the kind worn by medieval astronomers, designed with the
help of Professor Juan Vernet, a distinguished Spanish historian of mediaeval
astronomy.
Following the Prince’s words of gratitude, decorations of the Order of Civil
Merit were bestowed on the most significant persons associated with the
F. Sánchez
The programme of events began on 27 June, on the eve of the inaugurations, with an academic address at the auditorium of the University of La
Laguna by the renowned cosmologist Professor Steven Weinberg with the title
‘ORIGINS’. This Nobel laureate and celebrated author of The First Three
Minutes gave us quite a few problems. For a start, he insisted on staying at the
same hotel as the heads of state, on the grounds that, being Jewish, he was at
risk from terrorists and therefore needed the same level of security as the heads
of state. Quite naturally, it occurred to the chief of security that, if Weinberg
really were such a magnet for terrorist attempts, he was himself a security risk
and would need to be accommodated as far away as possible from the heads
of state.
When he arrived at the University of La Laguna and saw German flags at
the entrance and he said he would not speak in the presence of ‘Nazi’ symbols.
This was a serious upset because the auditorium was full to the brim. We told
him firmly and politely that there were certainly no Nazi symbols present, and
that Germany was a signatory country to the international agreements that
supported the Observatories about to be inaugurated. Regardless of these hiccups, Weinberg went on to deliver a brilliant talk.
The last straw came when, now back in Texas, Weinberg received the previously agreed emolument for his talk; he rang us and caused a scene. In the
background, we could hear him arguing with his wife, who was shouting that
the money received was not enough and was an insult to such a prominent
personality, and that we needed to remember that we were dealing with no
less a person than a Nobel laureate. Eventually he calmed down and accepted
the payment.
On the island of Tenerife, the King and Queen of Spain, accompanied by
the other dignitaries, inaugurated the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in
La Laguna and re-inaugurated Teide Observatory. There was a delightful
moment at the ceremony held at IAC headquarters in which the then Prince
of Asturias, the adolescent Don Felipe de Bourbon, was named ‘Honorary
Astrophysicist of the IAC’. We knew of his childhood love of astrophysics and
his wish to have graduated in that discipline. It was a very solemn ceremony.
A decorative dais had been erected for the heads of state and royal families to
be seated. Facing the dais, in the patio of the Library, there was a stand for the
invited guests. The Prince was handed a certificate of the title and a decorative
symbolic sash of the kind worn by medieval astronomers, designed with the
help of Professor Juan Vernet, a distinguished Spanish historian of mediaeval
astronomy.
Following the Prince’s words of gratitude, decorations of the Order of Civil
Merit were bestowed on the most significant persons associated with the
F. Sánchez