Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, German Empire
- 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
- Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann and Pauline Einstein.
- Received early education in Munich.
- Renounced German citizenship in 1896.
- Studied at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, graduating in 1900.
- Granted a doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1905.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
- Published his "Annus Mirabilis" papers in 1905, revolutionizing physics.
- Held professorships at the University of Zurich, Charles University of Prague, and ETH Zurich.
- Became Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin in 1914.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Developed the theory of general relativity.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 and became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning about the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons.
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 E=mc².
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905) - Explained the photoelectric effect.
- "Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity" (1917).
- "The Meaning of Relativity" (1922).
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein is regarded as one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. His theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, light, and the universe. The profound impact of his work continues to shape science and technology today. The influence of Einstein's life and theories is explored in such works as pal barger biography of albert einstein.