Albert Einstein was a German Theoretical Physicist who lived between March 14, 1879, and April 18, 1955. Einstein is better remembered for his active participation in the field of science, most notably in Physics through his various extensive scholarly studies and inventions. He developed the theory of relativity, which is one of the two pillars of modern physics, the other being quantum mechanics. This scholar is also known for his influence on the philosophy of science, although he is widely recognized for his mass-energy equivalence formula (E=mc2) that has been labeled by the general public as the world’s most eminent equation (Holton, 2018). Due to his extensive involvement in the field of physics, Einstein received numerous awards during his days, one of which being the coveted Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his services to theoretical physics, and more particularly for his discovery of the photoelectric effect law, which is a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory (Holton, 2018). Modern-day physicists and scientists continue to expand on the laws and inventions made by Einstein, and there is no denying that his work in the 1900s played a significant role in laying the foundation for modern day physics. In the same light, Einstein is widely celebrated for his role in showing that physics, or any other science discipline for that matter, just like any other sphere of the society, is deeply embedded in philosophy. Although he died in 1955 at the age of 76, Einstein’s active involvement in scientific discoveries continues to inform the modern-day science, bearing in mind the various laws that are adopted in the syllabus worldwide, and he remains to be an embodiment of life for service to humanity.
Early Life and Education
Einstein Albert was born to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Wittenberg Kingdom in the German Empire. He was the son of an engineer and a salesman in Ulm, although three years later they relocated to Munich for Hermann to team up with his brother, Jakob, and founded the Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie Company, to produce electrical equipment using direct current (Holton, 2018) . Since the family did not observe their Ashkenazi Jewish religion, Albert comfortably attended an elementary school that was Catholic in their new town. He started at the school when he was 5 years old, up to when he turned eight years old. He was then switched to the Luitpold Gymnasium, for his advanced primary and secondary education. The school has since been renamed after him, The Albert Einstein Gymnasium. He continued his education at the center for seven years when he moved out of the German Empire. Having specialized in electrical engineering, Albert’s father wished for him to pursue a career in the same field, although the young Einstein clashed with authorities and he resented the teaching method, as well as the school’s regimen, which led to his loss of the spirit for learning and creative thought, as he came to write later. By this time (1894), his family had moved out of Munich, although Einstein had been left behind to clear his schooling, at the end of the same year, he traveled to Italy, where his family had relocated to, under the pretense of a doctor’s note. During this break, Einstein wrote an essay on “The Investigation of The State of The Ether in A Magnetic Field” (Holton, 2018). Although he had always been passionate about Physics and Math, this essay served as his wakeup call to conduct more research on physics. It is right to point, therefore that at the age of 12, the young Albert Einstein had already discovered his niche in life.
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Having resented the school in which he had been previously studying, the young Einstein took it upon himself to tutor himself over the summer more extensively on math and physics, doing more research on scholarly articles, questioning their authenticity. It was during this time that Albert developed as well a passion for algebra and Euclidean geometry which led to him discovering his original proof of the Pythagorean theorem. This passion also led to him becoming convinced that nature could be viewed from the concept of mathematical structure. This became the starting point of his love for philosophy, and the beginning of his perspective on science being a concept of nature. At the age of 13, Albert got acquainted with Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, which led to Kant becoming Einstein’s influential figure in philosophy. Einstein’s tutor observes that during this period, he was still young in mind, yet Kant’s works, which were not comprehensible to ordinary individuals, seemed to be comprehensible to him (Holton, 2018) . At 17 years, Einstein enrolled in four-year mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the Zurich Polytechnic, where he had taken an entrance examination a year early, although he did not reach the set pass mark of the test. In the same year (1896), Albert’s future wife, who was then 20 years old, and a Serbian, joined the institution, becoming the only female in the physics and mathematics department of the teaching diploma course. The section had six students. Over the next couple of years, Einstein’s and Mileva’s relationship developed into a romance, while they read together on extracurricular physics. In 1900, Albert passed his physics and math exams and received the Federal Polytechnic teaching diploma. This award marked the onset of Einstein’s official venture into the world of physics, math, and philosophy. There are unconfirmed claims that Maric collaborated with Albert on his 1905 exams, also referred to as The Annus Mirabilis Papers, although the historians have so far not found any evidence that Einstein’s wife made any notable contributions.
Marriage and Family Life
In 1987, an old correspondence surfaced which documented Einstein’s relationship with Maric. This correspondence revealed that they had a baby girl whom they had named Lieserl. Lieserl was born in Novi Sad in 1902 when Maric was staying at her parents’ home. Not much is known of Einstein’s daughter, who is suspected of having either succumbed to scarlet fever while still an infant or had been given to foster parents. These unconfirmed reports stemmed from the fact that Maric returned to Switzerland in 1903 without the child. Earlier the same year, (January 1903) Einstein and Maric married and in May the following year, they gave birth to their second child, a baby boy named Hans Albert Einstein in Bern. The couple had their third child, Eduard, in Zurich in July 1910. Einstein and his wife moved in April 1914 to Berlin, although Maric returned shortly after to Zurich with their two children after discovering that Einstein was romantically involved with his cousin, Elsa (Holton, 2018) . This marked the beginning of Einstein’s marriage, with the final blow coming five years later through a divorce. At the age of 20, Einstein’s son, Eduard, developed schizophrenia and was to be committed to an asylum, had it not been for his mother’s extensive care at home. After Maric’s death, however, Eduard was finally permanently confined in a shelter. In 1919, Albert married his cousin, Elsa Lowenthal, having been romantically involved with her from 1912. She was his second cousin from his father’s side of the family and the first cousin from his mother’s side. Due to the nature of their relationship, Einstein and Elsa migrated to America in 1933 to escape the judgment of their families. Elsa developed kidney and heart problems in 1935. She succumbed a year later in December 1936. Not much is known of Einstein’s children after his divorce with Maric. Albert Einstein was a rather conservative personality and did not have many friends, except mostly for his colleagues in the math and physics department at his teaching post. Some of his notable friends include Michele Besso, Marcel Grossman, Paul Ehnrefest, Daniel Posin, Janos Plesch, Stephen Wise, and Maurice Solovine (Holton, 2018) . After his graduation in 1900, and after several attempts at securing a job, with the aid of Grossman’s father Einstein secured a position at the Federal Office Fore Intellectual Property in Bern as an assistant examiner- level III at the patent office. At this post, he reviewed patent applications for devices which included an electromechanical typewriter and a gravel sorter.
Academic Works
The start of the 1900s marked Einstein’s debut into the world of academic career having made his debut in 1908 when he was elected lecturer at the University of Bern, having been recognized as a leading scientist. In 1909, after his speech at the University of Zurich on the relativity principle and electrodynamics, Einstein was recommended by Alfred Kleiner to the faculty for the just created professorship in theoretical physics. It is essential to point out the tremendous work and achievements Einstein had heading this department, building a foundation upon which future stakeholders in the department would rely on. Due to his excellent work in the department, he was nominated associate professor the same year. In April 1911, having accepted Austrian citizenship in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Albert became an official professor at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague, Germany (Holton, 2018) . During his stay at Prague, Einstein authored eleven scientific works, majorly on the quantum theory of solids and radiation mathematics. In July the following year, Einstein returned to Zurich to his alma mater where he became the professor at the ETH Zurich for theoretical physics, through to 1914. He explicitly taught thermodynamics and analytical mechanics at the institution while at the same time studying continuum theory, the concept of gravitation, and the molecular theory, on which projects he partnered with the mathematician and personal friend, Marcel Grossman. On July 3, 1913, Einstein was voted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences for membership which was in Berlin, although he was hesitant to accept the academy. This prompted Walther Nernst and Max Planck to visit him in Zurich the following week to convince him to accept the membership into the academy. He was offered a post at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics as a director as a bonus score, although the position was yet to be created. Here again, Einstein had the chance to break the ground on some tremendous physics and math work in the institute. This membership included professorship and paid salary with no teaching obligations at the Humboldt University of Berlin (Holton, 2018) . However, none of these benefits moved Einstein, and he only accepted to relocate to the German Empire a year after he had been officially elected to the academy. His decision to move was influenced to a great extent by the fact that his cousin Elsa lived in Berlin, and the academy presented the chance of him living near Elsa. By this time, Einstein had already developed romantic affairs with Elsa.
Achievements
Albert Einstein, during his time, managed to rise through different ranks, bagging recognition after recognition for his marvelous works in both fields of science and philosophy. On November 7, 1919, following Einstein’s new concept of general relativity, which pointed out that the sun’s gravity should bend light from another heavenly body, this prediction was authenticated in the solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, by Sir Arthur Eddington, which led to Einstein receiving international recognition (Holton, 2018) . ‘The Times’ which was the leading English newspaper of the time, put out a banner singing Einstein’s praises. The banner read, “Revolution in Science – New Theory of The Universe – Newtonian Ideas Overthrown” (Holton, 2018). Einstein was appointed a Foreign Member of The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1920, and 2 years later, he was awarded the coveted Nobel Prize in Physics, 1921 for “his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the Photoelectric effect” (Holton, 2018). In 1921, Albert Einstein was appointed a Foreign Member of The Royal Society (ForMemRS), a highly coveted position in the field of education and science at the time in England (Holton, 2018) . His other notable recognition is the 1925 Copley Medal award he received from the Royal Society, making him one of the prominent figures in the body.
Conclusion
It is essential to observe that Albert Einstein was in many ways an ordinary man, with flaws and limitations like every other person. He was also not spared from calamities and lousy fortune, take into consideration his son’s Eduard’s condition, and his second wife’s medical condition as well. Yet, Einstein remains to be a force of inspiration to many individuals across the world. He is the epitome of passion and resilience and is a great force of motivation for any person who is passionate about a subject, be it in education or general life. From Albert Einstein’s story, one thing that remains to stand out is the fact that no person deserves to live or die with their dreams unfulfilled, and with a little extra effort, all goals are worth chasing after.
References
Holton, G. (2018). Einstein and the cultural roots of modern science. In Science in Culture (pp. 1-44). Routledge.
