Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the theory of special relativity in 1905, establishing mass-energy equivalence through E = mc² , and the general theory of relativity in 1915 . His explanation of the photoelectric effect illuminated light's particle-like behavior, foundational to quantum mechanics , and earned him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics . Born to secular Ashkenazi Jewish parents in Ulm, Germany, Einstein fled Nazi persecution in 1933. He settled in the United States as a dual Swiss-American citizen and continued work on unified field theories at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

He advocated pacifism and civil rights and supported Zionism mainly as a cultural and humanitarian project, while warning against narrow nationalism and urging Jewish–Arab cooperation, though his enduring influence stems primarily from transforming modern physics, with relativity theories essential for the accuracy of technologies such as GPS.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, at 11:30 a.m. in Ulm , Kingdom of Württemberg , German Empire . He was the first child of Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch, both secular Ashkenazi Jews . Hermann, born August 30, 1847, in Bad Buchau , began as a featherbed salesman. He later partnered with his brother Jakob in electrochemical and electrical engineering , including gas and water supply systems and direct current equipment. Pauline, born February 8, 1858, in Bad Cannstatt , played piano and mandolin. She came from a grain trading family and married Hermann in 1876 after he shifted the family business to technical work.

In June 1880, about 15 months after Einstein's birth, the family moved to Munich . There, Hermann and Jakob started an electrical engineering firm focused on lighting and dynamos to use new electrification technology. Einstein's sister, Maria (Maja), was born in Munich on November 18, 1881, and became his close companion. The middle-class family had a stable home, though Hermann's business later struggled against alternating current systems.

Albert Einstein's father was Hermann Einstein (August 30, 1847 – October 10, 1902), an electrical engineer and businessman. His mother was Pauline Einstein (née Koch) (February 8, 1858 – September 19, 1920), a musician who taught Albert the violin. His sister was Maria (Maja) Einstein (November 18, 1881 – June 25, 1951), a close companion throughout his life.

In Munich, young Einstein showed curiosity about nature. At age five, a pocket compass fascinated him with its unseen forces, sparking lifelong wonder. At six, he began violin lessons from his mother, gaining a love for Mozart despite early resistance. He attended a local Catholic elementary school from age six, fitting into Bavarian society as a secular family. He had no major delays, though he spoke late until age three. At eight, he started at Luitpold Gymnasium. He disliked its strict rote learning and discipline, which he said killed creativity. Instead, he studied Euclid 's geometry and Kant 's philosophy from family books.

Einstein's intellectual development began early, driven by innate curiosity and self-directed study rather than formal education alone. At age five, his father showed him a pocket compass, igniting a lifelong fascination with invisible forces governing nature—an experience he later cited as pivotal to his thinking about fields and relativity.

He started primary school at Munich's Petersschule in 1885, attending Catholic religious classes despite his Jewish background. His uncle Jakob, an engineer, introduced him to algebra in an engaging way, describing it as "the merry science" and supplying him with challenging problems.

In 1888, Einstein entered the Luitpold Gymnasium, where he strongly criticized the institution's emphasis on rote memorization, strict discipline, and militaristic atmosphere, believing it suppressed creativity and independent thought.