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 (1914–1933), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Relocated with his family to Munich in 1880.
- Received early education at a Catholic elementary school in Munich.
- Attended the Luitpold Gymnasium, but left without graduating.
- Later attended the Aargau Cantonal School in Aarau, Switzerland, earning his diploma in 1896.
- Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a patent clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902-1909).
- Published his "Annus Mirabilis" papers in 1905, covering topics such as Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence.
- Professor of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich (1909-1911).
- Professor at the German University in Prague (1911-1912).
- Returned to Zurich as professor at the ETH Zurich (1912-1914).
- Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics and professor at the University of Berlin (1914-1933).
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Developed the theory of general relativity, published in 1915.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 and joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Nazi Germany to develop atomic weapons.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) - Special Relativity
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) - Mass-Energy Equivalence
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905) - Photoelectric Effect
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's contributions to theoretical physics revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, light, and the universe. His work laid the foundation for modern physics, and his theories continue to be studied and tested today. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time.
Awards and Honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Nobel Prize in Physics | 1921 |
| Copley Medal | 1925 |
| Max Planck Medal | 1929 |
The work of Jean-Philippe Collard biography of Albert would certainly place this in the context of 20th century luminaries.