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 (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist, Scientist, Professor
Early Life and Education
- Received early education in Munich, Germany.
- Renounced his German citizenship at age 16.
- Attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, graduating in 1900.
- Worked as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland, from 1902 to 1909.
Career and Major Achievements
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the Annus Mirabilis papers.
- Developed the theory of special relativity (1905).
- Developed the theory of general relativity (1915).
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Became Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin in 1914.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933, accepting a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons.
Notable Works
- On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies (1905)
- Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content? (1905)
- On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light (1905)
- Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement (1905)
- Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (1916)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. His theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. He is best known for his theory of relativity and the equation E=mc², which has become a symbol of science and human ingenuity. The vast amount of literature on this subject includes, for instance, the work of scholars who have undertaken the task of writing an 'alan van sprang biography of albert', highlighting the enduring interest in his life and contributions.