Albert Einstein - Biography

1 de 6

About.com

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

About Education

20th Century History

...

Albert Einstein

The Humble Genius

By Jennifer Rosenberg
20th Century History Expert

Ads

Einstein

History of Physics

Albert Einstein Quotes

Light

New Science Discoveries

High School Science

Who Was Albert Einstein?

Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist
of the 20th century, revolutionized
scientific thought. Having developed the
Theory of Relativity, Einstein opened the
door for the creation of the atomic bomb.

Crimes & Scandals

Decade By Decade
Disasters & Tragedy
Fads & Fashions
Important People

Dates: March 14, 1879 -- April 18, 1955

Medical Advances & Issues

Photographs

Overview of Albert Einstein

Scientific Discoveries
Timelines
Wars & Conflicts
Blog
People
Events
Decade by Decade
Updated Articles and
Resources

In 1879, Albert Einstein was born in Ulm,

Germany to Jewish parents, Hermann
Albert Einstein. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
and Pauline Einstein. A year later,
Hermann Einstein's business failed and he moved his family to Munich to start a new
electric business with his brother Jakob. In Munich, Albert's sister Maja was born in 1881.
Only two years apart in age, Albert adored his sister and they had a close relationship
their whole lives.
Ads

Let About.com send you

the latest from our
20th Century History Expert.

SIGN UP

You can opt-out at any time.

Please refer to our privacy policy for contact
information.

Fique Rico com Dividendos

empiricus.com.br/Bons_Dividendos
Saiba J Como Selecionar Aes que
Pagam Bons Dividendos na Bolsa
Vagas de Emprego Abertas
www.manager.com.br
Milhares de vagas abertas. Encontre
seu emprego aqui. Cadastre-se j!
What Will Be Your Future?
sky-request.com/Future
Enter Your Birth Date & I will Tell Your
Future. First Reading Now Free
Einstein

Was Einstein Lazy?

Although Einstein is now considered the
epitome of genius, in the first two decades of
his life, many people thought Einstein was
the exact opposite. Right after Einstein was
born, relatives were concerned with
Einstein's pointy head. Then, when Einstein
didn't talk until he was three years old, his
parents worried something was wrong with
him. Einstein also failed to impress his
teachers. From elementary school through
college, his teachers and professors thought
him lazy, sloppy, and insubordinate. Many of
his teachers thought he would never amount
to anything.

History of Physics
Albert Einstein Quotes

07/03/2015 13:09

Albert Einstein - Biography

2 de 6

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

What appeared to be laziness in class was

really boredom. Rather than just memorizing
New Science Discoveries
facts and dates (the mainstay of classroom
work), Einstein preferred to ponder questions
such as what makes the needle of a compass point in one direction? Why is the sky blue?
What would it be like to travel at the speed of light?
Light

Unfortunately for Einstein, these were not the types of topics he was taught in school.
Although his grades were excellent, Einstein found regular schooling to be strict and
oppressive. Things changed for Einstein when he befriended Max Talmud, the 21-year-old
medical student who ate dinner at the Einstein's once a week. Although Einstein was only
eleven years old, Max introduced Einstein to numerous science and philosophy books and
then discussed their content with him. Einstein flourished in this learning environment and
it wasn't long until Einstein had surpassed what Max could teach him.
Ads
Trabalho Pago Em Casa
comparepesquisas.net
Ganhe R$15 por sua Opinio. Receba
Dinheiro Completando Pesquisas
Aprenda Francs Grtis
br.busuu.com/Frances
Aprender Francs Mais Fcil do que
Voc Pensa. Inscreva-se Agora!

Einstein Attends the Polytechnic

Institute
When Einstein was 15 years old, his father's
new business had failed and the Einstein
family moved to Italy. At first, Albert
remained behind in Germany to finish high
school, but he was soon unhappy with that
arrangement and left school to rejoin his
family.

Rather than finish high school, Einstein decided to apply directly to the prestigious
Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. Although he failed the entrance exam on the
first try, he then spent a year studying at a local high school and retook the entrance exam
in October 1896 and passed.
Once at the Polytechnic, Einstein again did not like school. Believing that his professors
only taught old science, Einstein would often skip class, preferring to stay home and read
about the newest in scientific theory. When he did attend class, Einstein would often make
it obvious that he found the class dull.
Some last minute studying allowed Einstein to graduate in 1900. However, once out of
school, Einstein was unable to find a job because none of his teachers liked him enough
to write him a recommendation letter. For nearly two years, Einstein worked at short-term
jobs until a friend was able to help him get a job as a patent clerk at the Swiss Patent
Office in Bern. Finally with a job and some stability, Einstein was able to marry his college
sweetheart, Mileva Maric, whom his parents strongly disapproved. The couple went on to
have two sons: Hans Albert (born 1904) and Eduard (born 1910).

Einstein the Patent Clerk

For seven years, Einstein worked six days a week as a patent clerk. He was responsible
for examining the blueprints of other people's inventions and then determining whether or
not they were feasible. If they were, Einstein had to ensure no one else had already been
given a patent for the same idea.
Somehow, between his very busy work and family life, Einstein not only found time to earn
a doctorate from the University of Zurich (awarded 1905), but found time to think. It was
while working at the patent office that Einstein made his most shocking and amazing
discoveries.

Einstein Changed How We View the World

07/03/2015 13:09

Albert Einstein - Biography

3 de 6

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

With just pen, paper, and his brain, Albert Einstein revolutionized science as we know it
today. In 1905, while working at the patent office, Einstein wrote five scientific papers,
which were all published in the Annalen der Physik (Annals of Physics, a major physics
journal). Three of these were published together in September 1905.
In one paper, Einstein theorized that light must not just travel in waves but existed as
particles, which explained the photoelectric effect. Einstein himself described this
particular theory as "revolutionary." This was also the theory for which Einstein won the
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
In another paper, Einstein tackled the mystery of why pollen never settled to the bottom of
a glass of water, but rather, kept moving (Brownian motion). By declaring that the pollen
was being moved by water molecules, Einstein solved a longstanding, scientific mystery
as well as proved the existence of molecules.
His third paper described Einstein's "Special Theory of Relativity," in which Einstein
revealed that space and time are not absolutes. The only thing that is constant, Einstein
stated, is the speed of light; the rest of space and time are all based on the position of the
observer. For example, if a young boy were to roll a ball across the floor of a moving train,
how fast was the ball moving? To the boy, it might look like the ball was moving at 1 mile
per hour. However, to someone watching the train go by, the ball would appear to be
moving the one mile per hour plus the speed of the train (40 miles per hour). To someone
watching the event from space, the ball would be moving the one mile per hour the boy
had noticed, plus the 40 miles an hour of the speed of the train, plus the speed of the
earth.

1905 - Einstein Proposes His Theory of

Relativity
Albert Einstein: The Scientific Genius
Who Didn't Wear Socks

NEXT

Quotes by Einstein
10 Things You Don't Know About
Einstein
J. Robert Oppenheimer

10 Things You Didn't Know About

Albert Einstein

Marie Curie

Quotes by Albert Einstein

Nikola Tesla

Did Einstein Prove that God Exists?

Enrico Fermi

The 10 Most Influential Scientists of

the 20th Century

A Timeline of the
20th Century

How To Balance
Chemical Equations
Chemistry

Timelines

An A to Z List of the
Most Famous
People of the 20th
Century

10 Amazing Castles
on College
Campuses
College Admissions

07/03/2015 13:09

Albert Einstein - Biography

4 de 6

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

Important People

What Are the 6

Basic Animal
Groups?

Check Out These

Resources About
the Holocaust

Animals/Wildlife

Holocaust

The Anatomy of a
Snowflake

Everything You
Need to Know
About WWI

Ecology

World War I

Can You Name the

10 Smallest
Countries in the
World?

Follow 20th Century

History on
Facebook and
Twitter!

Geography

Blog

100 Famous African-American Men

and Women of the 20th Century
10 Surprising Facts About the Titanic
33 Facts You Should Know About the
Holocaust
34 Facts About Nazi Leader Adolf
Hitler
The Sorrowful Story of The Jonestown
Massacre

Ads

Einstein

History of Physics

Albert Einstein Quotes

About.com

Light

About Education

New Science Discoveries

20th Century History

High School Science

Important People

Scientists & Inv

07/03/2015 13:09

Albert Einstein - Biography

5 de 6

About Education

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

Follow us:

We deliver. Get the best of

About Education in your inbox.

SIGN UP

You can opt-out at any time. Please refer to our privacy

policy for contact information.

07/03/2015 13:09

Albert Einstein - Biography

6 de 6

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Einstein.htm

2015 About.com All rights reserved.

07/03/2015 13:09