A biographical sketch of Albert Einstein highlighting his scientific genius and his humanitarian heart.
The title "A Truly Beautiful Mind" may seem unusual for a scientist. We usually associate "beautiful" with art or people. However, this story highlights that Einstein wasn't just a genius in physics; he was a humanitarian who advocated for world peace and non-violence. His concern for mankind makes his mind truly beautiful.
• Birth: March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany.
• Physical Appearance: His head seemed much too
large. His mother thought he was a "freak."
• Late Talker: He didn't speak until he was two
and a half years old. When he did, he repeated everything twice.
• "Brother Boring": He didn't know what to do
with other children, so his playmates called him Brother Boring.
He played by himself with mechanical toys.
A headmaster once told Einstein's father that it didn't matter what profession Albert chose because "he will never make a success at anything." History proved this prediction horribly wrong!
| Schooling in Munich | Schooling in Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Strict discipline and regimentation. | More liberal and free atmosphere. |
| Einstein felt stifled and suffocated. | Einstein felt comfortable and interested in learning. |
| Left the school at age 15. | Completed his graduation here. |
In 1902, Einstein got a job as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern. While he was supposed to be assessing other people's inventions, he was secretly developing his own ideas. He jokingly called his desk drawer the "Bureau of Theoretical Physics."
Einstein published his Special Theory of
Relativity.
Key Formula: E = mc²
(Energy = Mass × Speed of Light squared)
This showed that mass and energy are interchangeable.
This theory provided a new interpretation of gravity. In 1919, a solar eclipse proved his theory correct. The newspapers called it a "Scientific Revolution." He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
After the war, Einstein wrote a public missive to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government. Unlike his letter to Roosevelt, this made no impact. However, over the next decade, he became more involved in politics, campaigning for an end to the arms buildup and using his popularity to campaign for peace and democracy.
Answer: Einstein hated the regimentation (strict discipline) of the school in Munich. He felt stifled and often clashed with his teachers. He wanted a more liberal environment to study, so he left the school.
Answer: While his job was to assess the inventions of others, Einstein was secretly working on his own ideas and theories of physics. He kept his papers in his desk drawer, jokingly referring to it as the "Bureau of Theoretical Physics."
Answer: He was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction. He wrote a public missive to the United Nations proposing a world government to prevent such wars in the future.
"He also felt a special interest in a fellow student, Mileva
Maric, whom he found to be a 'clever creature'."
a) Why did Mileva come to Switzerland?
Because the University in Zurich was one of the few in Europe
where women could get degrees.
b) Why did Einstein like her?
He saw in her an "ally" against the "philistines"—the people in
his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at
odds.