Albert Einstein, known as one of the greatest physicists of all time, was born on March 14, 1879. A man of genius, by the age of 12 had taught himself algebra and Euclidean geometry over a single summer.
Best known for developing the theory of relativity and the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2, often dubbed as 'the world’s most famous equation', Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to theoretical physics and discovery of the law of photoelectric effect. He also independently discovered his own original proof of the Pythagorean theorem when he was only 12 and went on to master integral and differential calculus by the time he was 14. In his lifetime, he published over 300 scientific papers with more than 150 non-scientific works.
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, into a family of Ashkenazi Jews. His father, Hermann Einstein, was a salesman and engineer. In 1880, the family moved to Munich. Einstein struggled with language and other subjects and so he left the school. At the age of 16, Einstein wrote his first scholarly paper on the force of magnetism. The paper was inspired by his compass which was gifted to him by his father.
In 1900 Einstein published his first paper Conclusions from the Capillarity Phenomena. In 1905, he obtained the degree of PhD in physics. In 1905, he published four groundbreaking papers on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy. That year came to be known as Einstein’s ‘year of miracles'. In 1925, he was awarded the Royal Society of London’s prestigious Copley Medal for his theory of relativity and contributions to quantum theory.
{{/usCountry}}In 1900 Einstein published his first paper Conclusions from the Capillarity Phenomena. In 1905, he obtained the degree of PhD in physics. In 1905, he published four groundbreaking papers on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy. That year came to be known as Einstein’s ‘year of miracles'. In 1925, he was awarded the Royal Society of London’s prestigious Copley Medal for his theory of relativity and contributions to quantum theory.
{{/usCountry}}The scientist married Mileva Maric in January 1903. However, Maric and Einstein’s relationship did not last with them divorcing in 1919, mostly because of the physicist’s attraction for his cousin Elsa. Einstein married Elsa Lowenthal in 1919 following five years of relationship. Elsa passed away in 1936 from kidney ailments.
Einstein reportedly loved music and had said that if he were not a physicist, he would probably have been a musician. He was also deeply fascinated by Mahatma Gandhi and the two exchanged letters over the course of their lives.
On April 17, 1955, Einstein experienced internal bleeding due to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and died early next morning at the age of 76.
Here are a few memorable quotes of the scientist:
1. Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.
2. If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
3. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
4. A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.