Albert Einstein

Born:: March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
Died:: April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Nationality:: German (until 1896), Swiss (1901–1955), American (1940–1955)
Profession(s):: Theoretical Physicist, Professor

Early Life and Education

Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
Family moved to Munich shortly after his birth.
Early education was at a Catholic elementary school.
Later attended the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich.
Renounced German citizenship at age 16.
Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.

Career and Major Achievements

Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905 (the "Annus Mirabilis papers").
These papers covered Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
Professor at the University of Zurich (1909), Charles University in Prague (1911), and ETH Zurich (1912).
Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin (1914).
Developed the general theory of relativity, published in 1915.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
Emigrated to the United States in 1933 due to the rise of Nazism.
Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (1933-1955).
Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Nazi Germany to develop atomic weapons.

Legacy and Impact

Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and a symbol of intellectual brilliance.

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).
"The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916) – Presented the general theory of relativity.
"Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916) - Popular explanation of relativity.

Published Works

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