Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
- Died:
- April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (1879–1896), Swiss (1901–1955), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist, Scientist
Early Life and Education
- Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann and Pauline Einstein.
- Relocated to Munich shortly after birth.
- Early education was at a Catholic elementary school.
- Later attended the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich.
- Family moved to Italy, while Albert remained to finish school, later dropping out.
- Passed the entrance examination for the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich (Eidgenössische Polytechnische Schule) but needed a diploma.
- Attended the Aargau Cantonal School in Aarau, Switzerland, earning his diploma.
- Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic with a diploma to teach physics and mathematics.
Career and Major Achievements
- Initially worked as a clerk in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905 (his "Annus Mirabilis" papers), covering Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
- Appointed Professor at the University of Zurich in 1909.
- Became a professor at the German University in Prague in 1911.
- Returned to Zurich in 1912 to become a professor at the ETH Zurich.
- Became the Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin in 1914.
- Published his theory of general relativity in 1915.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Immigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution.
- Joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, alerting him to the potential of nuclear weapons, indirectly leading to the Manhattan Project.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) - Introduced Special Relativity.
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) - Introduced Mass-Energy Equivalence (E=mc²).
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905) - Explanation of the Photoelectric Effect.
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized physics and profoundly influenced our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. He is considered one of the most influential scientists of all time, and his work continues to shape modern science and technology. One particular biography of Albert, sujatha rangarajan biography of albert, could offer insights into aspects of his life through a specific cultural lens.