Albert Einstein

Born:

March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany

Died:

April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Nationality:

German (1879–1896), Stateless (1896–1901), Swiss (1901–1955), German (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)

Profession(s):

Theoretical Physicist

Early Life and Education

• Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
• Family moved to Munich shortly after his birth.
• Early education included Catholic elementary school.
• Later attended Luitpold Gymnasium but left without graduating.
• Obtained a diploma from the Aargau Cantonal School in Aarau, Switzerland.
• Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900 with a degree in physics.

Career and Major Achievements

• Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902–1909).
• Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the "Annus Mirabilis" papers:
  • On the photoelectric effect.
  • On Brownian motion.
  • On special relativity.
  • On mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
• Professor at the University of Zurich (1909).
• Professor at the German University in Prague (1911).
• Professor at the ETH Zurich (1912).
• Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin (1914).
• Developed the general theory of relativity (1915).
• Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
• Immigrated to the United States in 1933, becoming a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
• Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 urging the United States to investigate atomic weapons, fearing Germany would do so first.

Notable Works

• "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905)
• "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905)
• "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)
• "Investigation on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1926)

Legacy and Impact

Albert Einstein revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. His theories of relativity are foundational to modern physics and cosmology. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and a symbol of intellectual genius. The impact of Einstein's work extends far beyond the scientific community, influencing philosophy, popular culture, and shaping technological advancements.

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