Albert Einstein (1879–1955) — a theoretical physicist whose work revolutionized our understanding of space, time, and energy. He was born in Ulm, Germany, in a Jewish family, but his life and career were closely associated with Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. Childhood and Education Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, but a year later the family moved to Munich, where he spent his childhood. At school, he was not an easy student: he disliked the authoritarian system and could argue with teachers. However, he found the exact sciences easy and was fascinated by mathematics from an early age, mastering Euclidean geometry by the age of twelve. In 1896, Einstein entered the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (the Polytechnic). He graduated in 1900, but due to his combative character and absences, he was unable to obtain a position as an assistant at the university. Patent Office and the Year of Miracles In 1902, Einstein took a job as a technical expert at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. The work was not very interesting, but it left enough time and energy for scientific pursuits. It was there, in 1905, that he published four articles that changed physics. This year is known as the Year of Miracles (Annus Mirabilis). His work on the photoelectric effect, for which he later received the Nobel Prize. A dissertation on the determination of molecular sizes. An article on Brownian motion. The work "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", where the special theory of relativity and the famous equation E = mc² were presented. Academic Career and Fame After 1905, Einstein's career took off. He taught in Bern, Zurich, Prague, and in 1914 moved to Berlin, where he headed the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute. In 1916, he completed work on the general theory of relativity, which described gravity as the curvature of space-time. His worldwide fame came in 1919, when during a solar eclipse, British scientists c ... Read more