Albert Einstein

Profession: Theoretical Physicist

Nationality:

Biography: Albert Einstein was a German theoretical physicist, whose profound contributions to science made him one of the most renowned scientists in history. His theory of relativity and the famous equation E=mc^2 are landmarks in the field of physics.

Einstein’s pioneering work on the photoelectric effect earned him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics and laid a key foundation for quantum theory. Notably, a poll conducted by Physics World named him the greatest physicist of all time.

Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in the German Empire. His parents, Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch, were secular Ashkenazi Jews. The following year, the Einstein family relocated to Munich, where Hermann and his brother established an electrical equipment manufacturing company.

Einstein's formal education began at a Catholic elementary school and continued at the Luitpold Gymnasium. After his father’s business failed, in 1894 the Einsteins moved to Italy. His talent for mathematics and physics was evident from a young age, with the youth avidly self-studying in these subjects.

Completing his secondary schooling in Aarau, Switzerland, he renounced his German citizenship in 1896 and enrolled at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich. It was there that he met his future wife, Mileva Marić. After graduating in 1900, he gained Swiss citizenship the following year.

Einstein commenced his professional career in 1902 when he took up a job at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. While working here, he simultaneously conducted his own research. This dual engagement bore fruit in 1905 when he published four influential papers in the journal Annalen der Physik.

These papers, which included expositions on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence, had a monumental impact on modern physics. Building on this success, in 1915, Einstein formulated the general theory of relativity, integrating gravitation with the principles of mechanics.

With a move to Berlin in 1914 to join the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Humboldt University, he solidified his academic standing. The rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933, however, prompted Einstein, a Jewish intellectual, to remain in the United States during a visit. By 1940, he had accepted American citizenship.

Despite his achievements, later in his career Einstein pursued a unified field theory without success and expressed his dissatisfaction with the inherent randomness of quantum mechanics. During this period he frequently clashed with Niels Bohr over the Copenhagen interpretation, famously claiming that God "does not throw dice."

In his personal life, Einstein had various complex relationships. He married Mileva Marić in 1903, with whom he had two sons, but they divorced in 1919. That same year, he married his cousin Elsa Löwenthal, and they stayed married until her death in 1936. His passion for music, especially for Mozart's compositions, was a significant part of his life.

Born: March 14, 1879
Birthplace: Ulm, German Empire
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: April 18, 1955 (aged 76)
Cause of Death: Abdominal aortic aneurysm