Albert Einstein
On the 14th of March 1879, Albert Einstein was born in Ulm within the Kingdom of Württemberg. His parents were Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch. They were secular Ashkenazi Jews living in a rapidly industrializing Germany. When he was five years old, his father brought him a pocket compass while he lay sick in bed. The needle swung to point north regardless of how the boy turned the device. This small moment sparked a lifelong fascination with electromagnetism. He later wrote that something deeply hidden had to be behind things. The family moved to Munich shortly after his birth. There they founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie. The company manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current. Young Albert attended St. Peter's Catholic elementary school from age five. At eight he transferred to the Luitpold Gymnasium for secondary education. By twelve he taught himself algebra and calculus. He discovered an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem before his thirteenth birthday. A family tutor named Max Talmud introduced him to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason when he was thirteen. Kant became his favorite philosopher despite being incomprehensible to ordinary mortals.
In 1905 Albert Einstein published four groundbreaking papers in the journal Annalen der Physik. These works established quantum theory atomic reality special relativity and mass energy equivalence. The first paper appeared on the 9th of June 1905 regarding the photoelectric effect. It resolved an unsolved puzzle by suggesting energy is exchanged only in discrete amounts called quanta. The second paper arrived on the 18th of July 1905 explaining Brownian motion as evidence molecules exist. The third paper titled On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies was received on the 30th of June 1905. It reconciled Maxwell's equations with Newtonian mechanics by introducing changes to mechanical laws. This work later became known as his special theory of relativity. The fourth paper dated the 21st of November 1905 demonstrated that matter and energy are equivalent. It produced the famous equation E equals m c squared. These publications deeply impressed his contemporaries. They changed views on space time and matter forever. The year 1905 has been celebrated as an annus mirabilis for physics akin to Isaac Newton's miracle year of 1666. Einstein submitted a successful PhD dissertation to the University of Zurich on the 30th of April 1905.
Between 1907 and 1915 Albert Einstein developed a new idea of gravitation. In 1907 he formulated the equivalence principle asserting free fall is inertial motion. He predicted gravitational time dilation redshift and lensing in articles published during this period. By 1913 he found a way to model gravitation using Riemann curvature tensor geometry. His reimagining of mathematics was complete by the fall of 1915. He applied the new theory to Mercury's perihelion precession and solar deflection of light. A total eclipse occurred on the 29th of May 1919 providing an opportunity to test his calculations. Sir Arthur Eddington performed observations yielding results consistent with Einstein's predictions. On the 7th of November 1919 The Times printed a banner headline reading Revolution in Science New Theory of the Universe. This event marked the beginning of modern theoretical cosmology. Einstein introduced the cosmological constant in a paper published the following year. It laid out implications for modeling the structure and evolution of the universe as a whole. General relativity has since become essential for understanding black holes where gravity prevents even light from escaping.
For much of his later career Einstein worked on two endeavors that ultimately proved unsuccessful. First he advocated against quantum theory introducing fundamental randomness into science. He famously objected stating God does not play dice. Second he attempted to devise a unified field theory generalizing his geometric theory of gravitation to include electromagnetism. These efforts left him increasingly isolated from mainstream modern physics. Many things are named after him including the element Einsteinium. In 1999 Time magazine named him Person of the Century. His opposition to quantum indeterminacy remained a central theme throughout his academic life. He spent decades trying to reconcile gravity with other forces without success. This isolation grew as younger physicists embraced the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Despite this he continued publishing papers on statistical mechanics and radiation until near death. Bose-Einstein statistics developed alongside Satyendra Nath Bose remain foundational today. Yet his personal struggle against the randomness of the subatomic world never ended.
In February 1933 Albert Einstein knew he could not return to Germany with Adolf Hitler's rise to power. While visiting the United States he learned the German Reichstag passed the Enabling Act on the 23rd of March 1933. The Gestapo repeatedly raided his family apartment in Berlin during early 1933. On the 28th of March he landed in Antwerp Belgium and surrendered his passport renouncing citizenship. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels proclaimed Jewish intellectualism is dead. A German magazine listed him among enemies offering a five thousand dollar bounty on his head. He described book burnings as spontaneous emotional outbursts by those fearing independent thought. Einstein rented a house in De Haan Belgium for a few months before traveling to England. Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson invited him to stay near Cromer Norfolk with two bodyguards watching over him. Winston Churchill responded immediately sending physicist Frederick Lindemann to seek out displaced scientists. Over one thousand Jewish invitees eventually found placement in Turkey thanks to Einstein's letters. He accepted an offer from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton New Jersey becoming a resident scholar on the 3rd of October 1933.
Einstein became an American citizen in 1940 after settling into his career at Princeton. He expressed appreciation for meritocracy in American culture compared to Europe. Individuals were encouraged to be more creative without social barriers. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People campaigning for civil rights. Racism was America's worst disease handed down from generation to generation according to him. He corresponded with W.E.B. Du Bois and offered character witness testimony during his trial. The judge decided to drop the case when Einstein volunteered support. In 1946 he visited Lincoln University Pennsylvania awarding an honorary degree to the historically black college. He gave speeches about racism stating I do not intend to be quiet about it. When Marian Anderson came to Princeton for a concert in 1937 the Nassau Inn refused her a room. Einstein invited her to stay at his house on Main Street as a deeply personal gesture. He considered himself a Jew understanding how black people feel as victims of discrimination. His political views favored socialism while criticizing capitalism in essays like Why Socialism? He advocated world government eliminating danger found within nation states.
In July 1939 Leó Szilárd and Eugene Wigner visited Einstein explaining atomic bomb possibilities. They regarded it their responsibility to alert Americans that German scientists might win the race. Einstein asked to lend support by writing a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The document recommended US engagement in nuclear weapons research before World War II began. Some argue this letter was key stimulus for American adoption of serious investigations into nuclear weapons. It drew immense material financial and scientific resources initiating the Manhattan Project. By signing the letter some say he went against pacifist principles calling war a disease. In 1954 a year before death he told Linus Pauling I made one great mistake when I signed the letter. There was justification because Germans might make them too. On the 17th of April 1955 Einstein experienced internal bleeding from an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. He refused surgery saying I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. He died early the next morning at age seventy six having continued working until near end. His brain was removed during autopsy without family permission hoping future neuroscience would discover what made him so intelligent.
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Common questions
When and where was Albert Einstein born?
Albert Einstein was born on the 14th of March 1879 in Ulm within the Kingdom of Württemberg. His parents were Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
What did Albert Einstein publish in 1905?
Albert Einstein published four groundbreaking papers in the journal Annalen der Physik during 1905. These works established quantum theory atomic reality special relativity and mass energy equivalence including the equation E equals m c squared.
How did Albert Einstein develop general relativity?
Albert Einstein developed a new idea of gravitation between 1907 and 1915 by applying Riemann curvature tensor geometry to Mercury's perihelion precession. A total eclipse occurred on the 29th of May 1919 providing an opportunity to test his calculations which Sir Arthur Eddington confirmed.
Why did Albert Einstein move to the United States?
Albert Einstein moved to the United States because Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany and the Gestapo raided his family apartment in Berlin during early 1933. He accepted an offer from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton New Jersey becoming a resident scholar on the 3rd of October 1933.
What was Albert Einstein's stance on racism and civil rights?
Albert Einstein joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People campaigning for civil rights and considered racism America's worst disease. He gave speeches about racism stating I do not intend to be quiet about it and invited Marian Anderson to stay at his house when the Nassau Inn refused her a room.