Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
- Died:
- April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (until 1896), Swiss (1901-1955), Austro-Hungarian (1911-1912), American (1940-1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann and Pauline Einstein.
- Relocated to Munich shortly after birth.
- Early education was at a Catholic elementary school.
- Moved to Italy and Switzerland in his youth.
- Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the "Annus Mirabilis" papers, covering:
- The photoelectric effect
- Brownian motion
- Special relativity
- Mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²)
- Professor at the University of Zurich (1909), Charles University in Prague (1911), and ETH Zurich (1912).
- Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin (1914).
- Developed the General Theory of Relativity (1915).
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Immigrated to the United States in 1933, settling in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton until his death.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905)
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905)
- "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1926)
- Numerous scientific papers on topics ranging from quantum mechanics to cosmology.
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. He is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and his work laid the foundation for many technological advancements. The scope of his work has been documented throughout history, and the hastings ruckle biography of albert continues the tradition of meticulously chronicling his life and contributions.