Life and achievements
Early life
Albert Einstein was born on 14th March 1879 in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire. He was born to Hermann and Pauline Einstein, secular Jews who encouraged him to become a curious learner. Hermann was a salesman and engineer who started with a featherbed business and entered the electrochemical business. The family relocated to Munich when Albert was a year old. Hermann and his brother Jakob established the 'Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie company, which dealt with electrical items based on direct current. The home environment of Einstein was very scholarly; there were many books in the house, and the constant discourse of scientific matters helped to develop the young boy's curiosity.
Einstein was initially a slow learner, known for his deep concentration and methodical approach to problems. Because of his slow speech development, the family started calling him "der Depperte", meaning "the dopey one". However, contrary to myth, young Einstein was a good student; on the contrary, he showed outstanding results in mathematics and physics. By the age of twelve, he had mastered algebra and Euclidean geometry, and by fourteen, he had learned differential and integral calculus. Although a bright student, Einstein had conflicts with Munich's oppressive and formal schooling that did not allow him to explore and innovate.
The rigid structure of Luitpold Gymnasium (now Albert Einstein Gymnasium) in Munich was unsuitable for young Einstein's learning. He felt that the learning methods used in those schools were quite oppressive and very much did not enjoy the process of learning, opting to learn about things on his own. He started doubting the authorities and established the desire to comprehend the laws of nature while he was at the gymnasium. Pauline supported his musical inclinations; Einstein took up violin and always loved music as a means of relaxation and also to ponder over scientific issues.
At age fifteen, due to poor economic conditions and Hermann's business failures, the family migrated to Milan and later to Pavia in Italy. The young Einstein had to remain in Munich to finish his schooling, but unlike today's school-going children, he was not happy with the rigid education system in Germany. Despite the opportunity to earn a diploma, Einstein, feeling lonely and unchallenged, left the gymnasium and joined his family in Italy.This withdrawal period was valid; he could learn without the constraints of a school system and read the science that interested him.
Einstein had his heart set on a science career, so he enrolled at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, now known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, in 1895. He was rejected for poor performance in non-science subjects, but his excellent mathematics and physics results captured the faculty's attention. Recommended to finish his last years of secondary education at the Cantonal School in Aarau, Switzerland, Einstein benefitted from a more liberal and less strict atmosphere. While in Aarau, he lodged with his teacher, Jost Winteler. Thus, he developed close friendships with family members and other friends; he had a serious romance with Marie Winteler. This period strengthened his decision to become a scientist, and in 1896, he was able to enter the Swiss Polytechnic, which was the start of his way to become one of the most outstanding scientists of all time.
Legacy
Albert Einstein is more than a theoretical physicist who changed the course of physics and science; his work is almost omnipresent in modern society. He postulated the theory of relativity, which revolutionized how space, time, and gravity were thought about in the twentieth century and paved the way for many other subsequent inventions and innovations. The equations that posed to his theories, especially the E=mc² equation, significantly impact the energy produced in nuclear reactions and enhance the understanding of the universe. These theoretical developments paved the way for technologies like GPS and significantly advanced the fields of astrophysics and quantum mechanics.
Einstein’s work also initiated the quantum revolution. His explanation of the photoelectric effect, which proved that light energy is also in quanta, was fundamental in forming quantum theory, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Although he later had specific philosophical issues with quantum mechanics, and in his famous quote, said that ‘God does not play dice with the universe’, his early work was instrumental in framing this area of science. Einstein's contributions to the wave-particle duality of light and matter remain foundational in modern physics, inspiring generations of physicists and leading to the development of semiconductor and laser technologies.
However, apart from his scientific discoveries, Einstein significantly influenced social and political thinking. As a human rights activist, he employed his fame to fight against racism, especially in the United States, where he supported black civil rights and opposed discrimination. He was an outspoken pacifist and an anti-militarist at a time when there was a lot of war and political instability around the world.During the Second World War, Einstein initially supported the development of nuclear weapons to prevent Nazi Germany from acquiring them. However, he later became a vocal opponent of atomic weapons and a strong advocate for peace and international cooperation.
Einstein was involved in education and the popularization of science. His unique skills in making people understand physics and make them interested in scientific discoveries made him a great teacher. The name of this man is associated with the concept of genius, and his portrait – with the image of a man with peculiar features and a cheerful disposition, symbolizing the thirst for knowledge and creative inspiration. Fifty years after Albert Einstein’s death, institutions such as the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Albert Einstein Archives in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem make efforts to keep his science and humanitarianism alive.
Einstein's influence extends beyond his scientific ideas; his philosophical reflections on the world, truth, and the self continue to resonate in modern culture. His ideas for education, free thinking, and the relationship between science and society are still inspiring for academic circles and the general public. Einstein remains a thinker who is still influential at the border between science and humanitarianism, proving that intellectual work combined with high ethical standards will help future generations to learn and create a better world.
Milestone moments
Mar 14, 1879
Early Years and Intellectual Awakening
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany, into a secular Jewish family. His early years in Munich, where his family moved shortly after his birth, were marked by a deep fascination with nature and a burgeoning talent for mathematics. Despite initial struggles in formal education, which led his teachers to consider him a slow learner, Einstein demonstrated a remarkable ability to grasp complex mathematical concepts and engage in independent learning. His family environment, rich in books and intellectual discussions, nurtured his curiosity.
In 1894, due to financial difficulties, Einstein’s family moved to Italy, but he stayed behind to complete his education at the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich. However, the rigid and authoritarian educational system in Germany stifled his creativity and intellectual freedom, leading him to leave school without a diploma. He joined his family in Italy, where he enjoyed the liberty to study independently, reading scientific literature and pondering the fundamental questions of physics. This period of self-directed learning proved crucial in shaping his future scientific inquiries.
Determined to pursue a career in science, Einstein applied to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1895. Although he initially failed the entrance exam due to weaker performance in subjects outside mathematics and physics, he was advised to complete his secondary education in Switzerland. This led him to the Cantonal School in Aarau, where the progressive and supportive environment allowed him to flourish. He graduated in 1896 and successfully entered the Polytechnic, marking the beginning of his formal journey into higher education and scientific research.
Oct 1, 1896
Formative Years and Academic Struggles
Einstein’s time at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic from 1896 to 1900 was both formative and challenging. He developed a strong foundation in theoretical physics and mathematics but often clashed with his professors due to his independent thinking and unconventional study habits. His friendships with fellow students, particularly Marcel Grossmann, and his relationship with Mileva Marić, a fellow physics student, played significant roles in his personal and intellectual life. Despite their support, Einstein’s rebellious nature and tendency to skip lectures led to a strained relationship with some faculty members, making it difficult for him to secure academic positions after graduation.
After earning his diploma in 1900, Einstein faced a period of uncertainty, struggling to find employment in academia. He took various temporary jobs, including private tutoring, while continuing his research independently. His perseverance paid off in 1902 when he secured a position as a technical expert third class at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. This job, which involved evaluating patent applications for electromagnetic devices, provided him with financial stability and ample time to think about theoretical problems, allowing him to make significant progress in his scientific work.
During this period, Einstein married Mileva Marić in 1903, and they had their first son, Hans Albert, in 1904. Balancing his family responsibilities with his patent office work and independent research, Einstein laid the groundwork for his groundbreaking contributions to physics. His intellectual curiosity and relentless questioning of established scientific norms culminated in a series of revolutionary papers published in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus Mirabilis” (miracle year).
Apr 1, 1905
Annus Mirabilis and Scientific Breakthroughs
The year 1905 marked a turning point in Einstein’s career and the field of physics. Working at the Swiss Patent Office, he published four seminal papers in the Annalen der Physik, each addressing fundamental issues in theoretical physics. His paper on the photoelectric effect provided evidence for the quantization of light and introduced the concept of light quanta (photons), earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Another paper on Brownian motion offered empirical evidence for the existence of atoms and molecules, contributing significantly to statistical mechanics.
Einstein’s third paper in 1905 introduced the special theory of relativity, fundamentally altering our understanding of space and time. This theory posited that the laws of physics are invariant in all inertial frames and that the speed of light is constant, leading to the famous equation E=mc2E = mc^2E=mc2, which describes the equivalence of mass and energy. His work on special relativity challenged classical mechanics and set the stage for modern theoretical physics, influencing a wide range of scientific disciplines and technologies.
In the years following his Annus Mirabilis, Einstein continued to refine his theories and gained increasing recognition within the scientific community. He secured academic positions, first at the University of Zurich and later at the German University in Prague and the ETH Zurich. His relentless pursuit of a more comprehensive theory of gravity culminated in the formulation of the general theory of relativity in 1915. This theory, which described gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy, represented a major advancement over Newtonian mechanics and had profound implications for our understanding of the cosmos.
Apr 1, 1915
Rise to Fame and the General Theory of Relativity
Einstein’s general theory of relativity, published in 1915, revolutionized our understanding of gravitation. It proposed that massive objects cause a distortion in spacetime, which is perceived as gravity. This theory was experimentally confirmed in 1919 during a solar eclipse when light from distant stars was observed bending around the Sun, as predicted by Einstein. The confirmation of his theory catapulted him to international fame, making him a global scientific celebrity and a symbol of intellectual achievement.
During the 1920s, Einstein continued to make significant contributions to physics, including work on quantum mechanics and unified field theory, though he was increasingly critical of the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. His debates with Niels Bohr over the interpretation of quantum mechanics highlighted his philosophical resistance to the idea of inherent randomness in the universe. Despite his skepticism, his work laid the foundation for the development of quantum theory, which has become a cornerstone of modern physics.
Einstein’s fame extended beyond the scientific community; he became a prominent public figure, known for his pacifism, advocacy for civil rights, and outspoken views on social and political issues. He traveled extensively, giving lectures and promoting scientific and humanitarian causes. However, the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany forced him to emigrate in 1933. Leaving behind his position at the Prussian Academy of Sciences, he settled in the United States and took a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he continued his research and became a leading voice against totalitarianism and militarism.