Albert Einstein was born on the 14th of March 1879 in Germany to a Jewish family. His father Hermann was a salesman and engineer. Along with his brother Jakob, he founded a company in Munich that was involved in the mass production of electrical equipment, which was quite innovative at the time.
Albert Einstein is famous for his Theory of Relativity, which fundamentally changed our understanding of physics. E = mc2 comes from his theory, expresses the idea that energy (E) and mass (m) are interchangeable; they are different forms of the same thing. This equation shows that a small amount of mass can be converted into a large amount of energy, which is the principle behind nuclear energy.
Einstein had a fat head at the time he was born, which initially worried his mother and grandmother. However, his head size normalized as he grew.
He did not speak until the age of three. Despite this, he went on to become one of the most influential scientists in history. Now this phenomenon is sometimes referred to as “Einstein Syndrome,” where children exhibit delayed speech but later show exceptional abilities in various areas.
The parietal lobe in Einstein’s brain was 15% larger than that of an average brain. This region of the brain is associated with mathematical thought, visuospatial cognition, and movement. Additionally, Einstein’s brain lacked a groove known as the Sylvian fissure, which may have allowed for more connections between neurons in this area.
It’s fascinating how these unique features might have contributed to his extraordinary cognitive abilities.
He never wore socks. He found them unnecessary and even wrote about it in letters to friends and family. He mentioned that his big toe would always end up making a hole in his socks, so he decided to stop wearing them altogether. He even managed to avoid wearing socks on formal occasions by wearing high boots to cover up the lack of socks.
He never learned to swim; nevertheless, he loved sailing. He enjoyed spending time on the water and often took a boat out onto a lake to relax and think, but he always stayed on the boat.
He had a poor memory. He often forgot dates, names, and even his own phone number. Despite his incredible intellect and groundbreaking contributions to science, he struggled with everyday details. One of his teachers even remarked that he had a "memory like a sieve".
Although some of Einstein's teachers found him challenging because of his independent thinking and inquisitive nature, he excelled in subjects he was passionate about, especially mathematics and physics.
His academic path was not without challenges though, particularly in subjects such as languages and biology where he did not perform as well. Nonetheless, his grades were mostly above average, and he demonstrated remarkable aptitude in areas that captured his interest.
He was an exceptional musician, skilled as a violinist and pianist. Einstein started playing the violin at six and maintained this passion throughout his life. He harbored a profound appreciation for classical music, especially the compositions of Mozart and Bach.
Einstein often said that music helped him think and relax. He even mentioned that if he hadn’t been a physicist, he would have been a musician. His passion for music was so strong that he once said, "Life without playing music is inconceivable for me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music".
His first wife was Mileva Marić, a Serbian mathematician whom he met while they were both students at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich. They married in 1903 and had two sons, Hans Albert and Eduard.
Some say Maric might have co-authored his 1905 Relativity Paper. In the 1980's, American physicist Evan Walker Harris published an article in Physics Today claiming that Einstein first wife, Mileva Maric, was one of many coauthors of his 1905 paper on special relativity.
Most physicists and historians of science have rejected it.
After Einstein’s death in 1955, Soviet physicist Abram Fedorovich Joffe described some correspondence he had with Einstein early in their careers in a article published in Russian.
He had asked Einstein for a prints of some of his papers and wrote: “The author of these articles Einstein-Marity”
A popular Russian science writer called Daniil Semenvich Danin, interpreted Joffe’s account to mean that Einstein and Maric collaborated on the work.
Einstein’s letters are full of his ideas about physics.
Maric’s contain none and she was not a talented physicist or mathematician. She failed her final examinations and was never granted a diploma.
Maric and Einstein divorced in 1919, but as part of the divorce settlement, Einstein agreed to pay his ex-wife all of any future Nobel Prize he might be awarded. That is another reason why people think she might have been a co-author.
His second wife Elsa Löwenthal was his cousin. Elsa was his first cousin on his mother’s side and his second cousin on his father’s side. They began their relationship in 1912 while he was still married to Marić. They married in 1919 after Einstein’s divorce from Mileva. Elsa was a significant support to Einstein, especially during his health issues, and they remained married until her death in 1936.
Hitler considered him public enemy number one. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime considered Albert Einstein a significant threat. Einstein was a prominent Jewish intellectual and a vocal critic of the Nazis. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Einstein was in the United States and decided not to return to Germany due to the rising anti-Semitism and the dangerous political climate.
The Nazis targeted Einstein’s work and reputation, labeling his theories as “Jewish physics” and attempting to discredit him. They even placed a bounty on his head, making him a public enemy. Despite these threats, Einstein continued to speak out against the regime and supported efforts to help Jewish refugees escape from Europe.
In 1921 Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. However, he actually received the award in 1922. The Nobel Prize was awarded to him "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". This discovery was crucial in the development of quantum theory and had significant implications for the understanding of light and energy.
He became a strong advocate for nuclear disarmament after witnessing the devastating effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was deeply concerned about the potential for future nuclear wars and the annihilation of humanity.
In the last decade of his life, Einstein dedicated himself to promoting peace and international cooperation. He frequently spoke out against the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He believed that the only way to ensure global security was through the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Supporter of civil rights. After moving to the United States in 1933, he became increasingly aware of the racial segregation and discrimination faced by African Americans. He actively spoke out against racism and worked with several civil rights organizations.
Einstein was a member of the NAACP and developed a close friendship with civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois. He also supported the campaign to defend the Scottsboro Boys, nine African American teenagers falsely accused of rape in Alabama. In 1946, he gave a speech at Lincoln University, a historically black university, where he called racism "a disease of white people".
The FBI spied on Albert Einstein. They kept him under surveillance from the moment he entered the United States in 1933 until his death in 1955. The FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover was suspicious of Einstein’s political views and his advocacy for peace, civil rights, and Zionism. They amassed a file of over 1,400 pages on him, which included wiretaps, mail interceptions, and even searches of his trash23.
Einstein’s outspoken nature and his connections with various political and social movements made him a target during a time of heightened paranoia about communism and espionage.
Einstein was a genius when it came to science, but love was a different matter. Unbeknownst to Einstein the woman he had an affair with was a Russian spy.
Margarita Ivanovna (Vorontsova) Konenkova was born in 1895, in the remote Russian town of Sarapul. As a young woman she moved to Moscow and enrolled in law courses. She was associated with Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff and famous opera singer Feodor Chaliapin. In Moscow she met her husband, Sergei Konenkov “the Russian Rodin". Sergei was already a famous sculptor. In 1923 the couple traveled together to the United States, where Margarita became socialite, attending numerous balls and social events, while Konenkov continued creating art.
In 1935, Sergei was commissioned to make a bust of Albert Einstein for Princeton University. The couple met Einstein just before the work begun. Sergei visited Princeton only a few times to talk over the plans for the project, while Margarita became a frequent visitor. After Einstein's second wife Elsa died in 1936, Einstein and Margarita's relationship became more friendly. Einstein even persuaded Sergei to send Margarita over to his cottage at Saranac Lake by writing a letter stating that she was ill and needed to spend time in a good climate to get well. He even attached a fake doctor’s certificate. Each year she spent several months living with Einstein next to Saranac while her husband Sergei worked in Chicago. The scientist even came up with the name “Almar” (Albert-Margarita).
According to Pavel Sudoplatov, an intelligence general for Joseph Stalin, Margarita was indispensable in terms of spying on America’s nuclear program. Margarita's mission was to find out about the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan project's goal was to produce the first nuclear weapons. She successfully infiltrated the Princeton science circle where besides becoming close to Einstein, Magarita also befriends Robert Oppenheimer, one of the "fathers" of the atomic bomb. She talked Oppenheimer into hiring people known for their leftist views,
Einstein met with Pavel Mikhailov , the USSR consul who worked for the Soviet army intelligence, a few times as a favor for Margarita. He knew that her future in the USSR depended on this meeting.
Konenkovs came back to Moscow in 1946 they were provided for by the government.
The relationship between Einstein and Margarita was revealed through a series of letters he wrote to her. These letters, which surfaced many years later, are now preserved by the Library of Congress and demonstrate the profound affection and bond they shared.
Einstein presented Margarita with a gold watch as a parting gift when she and her husband departed the United States following World War II.
Einstein was offered and declined the opportunity to become president of Israel after the death of its first president in 1952. Einstein declined the presidency citing his inexperience in politics and his advanced age as reasons. He believed he was not fit for the role, expressing that he lacked the inherent skill and experience required to engage politically with people.
Einstein died on April 18th, 1955, in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 76 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Despite his declining health, he continued to work on his scientific theories until his final days.
After his death his eyes were removed during an autopsy conducted by pathologist Thomas Harvey. They were given to Einstein’s eye doctor, Henry Abrams. They are now kept in a safety deposit box in New York City
His brain was stolen after his death. The pathologist who performed his autopsy, Dr. Thomas Harvey, removed Einstein’s brain without permission. Harvey took the brain for scientific study, hoping to uncover the secrets behind Einstein’s genius.
Harvey preserved the brain in celloidin and kept it for many years, even cutting it into 240 pieces and distributing some of these pieces to other researchers.
Einstein’s legacy continues to influence and inspire scientists and thinkers around the world and even after his death Einstein is teaching us new things.
Einstein's theory of relativity has enabled scientists to discover a planet three times the size of Jupiter. The planet, KELT-9b, is hotter than most stars. Techniques based on Einstein’s theory, such as gravitational microlensing and relativistic beaming, made this discovery possible.
The General Theory of Relativity describes how the gravity of stars can bend light waves, an effect that can expose otherwise hidden planets.
This theory has aided in the discovery of a massive exoplanet named MOA-2016-BLG-227Lb.
MOA-2016-BLG-227Lb is a super-Jupiter mass planet orbiting a star in the Galactic bulge, located 21,000 light years from Earth.
International researchers, including teams from the U.S., Israel, and Japan, employed gravitational microlensing to detect the way light bends around the planet.
Was Stephen Hawking Albert Einstein?
Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein having such striking similarities in their lives. This makes some people think that Albert was reincarnated as Stephen Hawking. You be the judge.
They both had neurological disorders. Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a neuro-degenerative disease that slowly erodes nerves that control voluntary movement.
So he really couldn't move as the disease progressed and that is why he was wheelchair-bound for most of his life.
Einstein suffered from a mild case of Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, as well as attention deficit disorder (ADD). This means he had he didn't know what to do or how to act towards others sometimes and he had a hard time concentrating.
They both were married twice. Einstein divorced his first wife Mileva Maric to marry Elsa Lowenthal. They were together until she passed away. Hawking divorced his wife of 30 years, Jane Wilde, to marry Elaine Mason. He eventually divorced her too.
They both were fascinated by the universe and time travel. Einstein looked at things from a relativistic point of view while Hawking focused more on quantum physics.
They both thought that their own ideas were stupid. Einstein thought that one of his biggest mistakes was the cosmological constant he introduced into equations for general relativity. Hawking thought his was the “information loss” in black holes.
Both of them became famous.
They both had a good sense of humor. Einstein claimed that humor powered his brilliant intellect. On his 72nd birthday a photographer asked him to smile, so he stuck out his tongue. He was known for his childlike sense of humor. Hawking was known for his amazing one liner's that had intelligence to them.
Both Einstein and Hawking passed away when they were 76 years old.
Was Einstein part of the Illuminati?
Some believe Einstein was a member of the Illuminati. While there is no clear connection to the Illuminati, it has been reported that Einstein visited Bohemian Grove.
