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© 2000
Team C001515

March 12, 1879 - August 26, 1974

Overview:

Albert Einstein is synonymous with the word “genius.” He not only developed many complex theories in science and mathematics but strived for world peace and hated violence. He worked to ensure a better life for his Jewish community.

Albert Einstein One of the greatest thinkers of our century, Albert Einstein is most famous for developing the formula E = mc2.

Country: Germany and United States of America

Type of hero: Trailblazer

Attributes: Thinker

Biography:

Albert Einstein is considered by many to be the greatest thinker of our era. Born on March 12, 1879 Einstein was the quiet son of Hermann and Pauline Einstein. Throughout his youth Einstein was encouraged by his music-loving mother to practice the violin and listen to classical music. Although there were many other things young Albert would rather do, such as daydream or play with blocks he aimed to please his mother.

Albert hated soldiers as a young child; he did not like how they never seemed to think for themselves. He was reserved, shy and had trouble making friends. His parents, not being religious put their Jewish son into a Catholic school. He did not like school very much except for mathematics. Even in high school, other subjects never seemed appealing.

Mathematics and science however always kept Einstein’s interest. His uncle Jakob, introduced him to his first Algebra book. After quickly absorbing the book his best friend, Max Talmud brought him a Geometry book. Although ten years older, Talmud had long intellectual conversations with Einstein about geometry, philosophy and science. Einstein was captivated by Geometry and soon fell in love with a world of symmetrical shapes and figures. Albert soon studied calculus on his own and Talmud brought home science books for Albert to read. These books introduced Einstein to a whole new world made up of electrons, gravity, atoms and stars.

Einstein was left behind in Germany as his parents moved to Italy after his Uncle’s electricity factory shutdown. There, his parents opened up a new factory and told Einstein to stay behind and get his diploma. Einstein still hated the school’s militaristic tone and only did well in the subjects he loved, math and science. Teachers disliked his sarcasm and lack of respect and he in turn did not respect his teachers. Longing for his family he devised a plan to meet them, asking their doctor to write him a medical excuse saying he was in need of a long vacation. Before he could use it, Einstein was expelled because of his lack of respect for his teachers.

Einstein was enchanted by Italy and there he first began to think about light travel and other abstract ideas his old teachers never would have understood. However, soon he went to Zurich, Switzerland to the famous Polytechnic School. Needing to pass a very difficult test to get in, Einstein scored exceptionally well on the mathematics and physics portions, but very poorly on the rest of the test. He therefore enrolled in a very relaxed high school, unlike his previous militaristic one, and there he was allowed and encouraged to expand his mind and explore the subjects he was interested in. Not long after Einstein was accepted into the Polytechnic School (basically Switzerland’s M.I.T), on January 28, 1896 he renounced his German citizenship.

He found the Polytechnic school to be very similar to his old one back in Germany. He had no respect for his teachers and the teachers did not respect him. However through the help of Marcel Grossmann and Mileva Maric he received his diploma in 1900. Einstein developed a romantic interest in Mileva and together they had a child, Hans Albert and then finally married in 1903. All the while Einstein continued harvesting his passion for science. He soon solved Brownian motion (the phenomenon that occurs when pollen particles are dropped into water and zig-zag back and forth). Writing a paper he solved the mystery and proved that molecules actually exist. He then went on to solve the mystery of the photoelectric effect, an experiment that had puzzled many scientists. He said that light was made up of little particles that were knocking off the electrons. Furthermore, after many intense and frustrating hours pondering the concept of light Einstein proved that the speed of light is always the same, never relative. He then determined there is a maximum speed at which anything can go. He soon published all his theories calling his theories on light, the theory of relativity. In September 1905 his theories were published and it was a milestone not only in Einstein’s life but in physic’s history as well. Furthermore he wondered about mass and energy and discovered that they are actually the same thing; mass can be turned into energy. This brought forth his most famous equation E=mc². Yet, Einstein’s theories had no practical application. He was not interested in putting them to use and building machines and inventions. He was content with his extraordinary accomplishments.

Einstein’s fame was growing and his circle of admirers continued to expand. He worked at a patent office and found time for science and his ideas during off time. His family life was a never-ending juggling act between physics and family. Since Einstein’s reputation was growing he thought it about time to become a professor. In order to become one he had to be a privatdozent, a person who gave lectures for a small fee. Finally, in 1909 Einstein got a job at the University of Zurich. Einstein and Mileva had a second son in July 1910. Einstein nicknamed his two sons, die Barchen, or "the little bears." Einstein was very content with his life now. His friendliness, caring and humor won over his students, even though he was thought of as a bit strange. Soon he was offered a job at the German University in Prague, Austria-Hungary. It promised a higher salary, and more facilities for Albert to continue his work. Prague proved to be great for Albert’s profession however he and his wife felt quite uncomfortable in the city. There was a great deal of racial tension between Germans, Czechs, and Jews. Einstein was outraged by the prejudices held by the Czechs and Germans. Albert decided to go back to Zurich where he landed a job at the Polytechnic School in Zurich, the same school that was so anxious to see him leave. He taught the way he wish he would have been educated. He put a great deal of effort into his lectures and in aiding the students. Professors and students alike flocked to listen to his lectures. Soon two well-known scientists, Max Planck and Walther Nernst, came to Albert offering him a position in Germany at the University of Berlin. After a some careful thought he decided he couldn’t pass up such an opportunity even if it would put stress on his already troubled marriage.

World War I ravaged the country during this time and for the first time Einstein took a political stand. He wrote, along with another professor a statement that he hoped would encourage people to rethink their views about war. Only four people signed it, Einstein was bewildered.

Einstein finally published his general theory of relativity in 1916. His paper was the beginning of the modern science, cosmology, which is the study of the beginning and ending of the universe.

For a while Albert’s bad habits, such as his irregular sleeping and eating caught up to him. He became gravely ill and lost fifty-six pounds due to a stomach ulcer. However his new wife Elsa nursed him back to health, while he was divorcing Mileva and the ending of the war alleviated more tension.

In 1919 Einstein’s general theory of relativity was proven correct and on November 6, 1919 the whole world now knew that light was bent by gravity, time and space curved around the sun, and much more when his findings were announced to the world. Einstein was suddenly the most famous scientist in the world. People were attracted not just to his genius but his simplicity, sarcasm, honesty, kindness, absentmindness and frankness. He charged photographers who took pictures of him and then donated the money to hungry children.

Growing German hostility made Einstein move to the United States in 1921 where he took up a position at the Hebrew University. A large crowd waited for his arrival in New York harbor. His presence inspired many especially the Jewish-American population. His presence helped sooth ill feelings towards Germany and his bluntness and honesty led to admiration. He might be a genius but he still was an ordinary man. Later that year Albert won the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.

Einstein never took his fame seriously and always managed to stay down to earth even if he was a bit absentminded. With World War II looming overhead Einstein helped American scientists develop the first atomic bomb, fearful what would happen if Germany developed one first. He and his family became American citizens October 1, 1940, and he was very proud to become one.

Einstein feared the coming atomic age and for the rest of his life he worked so that the bomb would never be used again. He warned the public that the future depended on friendship and cooperation not war. He passed away on April 18, 1955.

Citations & References:

McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Ordinary Genius The Story of Albert Einstein. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc. 1995

"Time 100 The Most Important People of the 20th Century." Time.com http://www.time.com/time/time100/ (June 2000)

Go back to Great Heroes of the Twentieth Century