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Albert Einstein: Everyone's Favorite Genius
Albert Einstein revolutionized the fields of mathematics and physics, and was considered one of the most influential voices in the peace movement in Germany during World War I. Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in the year 1879 to Hermann and Pauline Einstein. Einstein's parents moved young Albert from Ulm to Munich when he was very young. Albert's father owned his own business which was responsible for manufacturing electrical parts. In 1894, the business failed and the family moved to Italy. In 1895, Albert failed an exam that would have allowed him to pursue studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. As a result, he spent the following year in Aarau at the Catonal Secondary School, which had top-rate instructors and first-rate facilities in physics. In 1896, Einstein returned to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology as a secondary-school teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1902, Albert was hired on at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. While Albert was employed there, he completed an impressive range of publications in the field of theoretical physics. Einstein submitted one of these papers to the University of Zurich and was awarded his Ph.D. in the year 1905. This was also the year in which Einstein developed the Theory of Special Relativity. This theory changed the way we thought about the concepts of space and time. Einstein's theories posited that Newton's Laws, which saw time and space to be absolutes, weren't necessarily accurate. The following year, Einstein became a professor of physics at the University of Zurich. In 1914, he ascended to the position of professor at University of Berlin. In 1915, Einstein completed his Theory of General Relativity. In the year 1916, he earned the seat of Presidency of the German Physical Society. In 1918 came the end of World War I and the beginning of a revolution in Germany. During the year 1921, Einstein made his first visit to the United States; in this year, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on the photoelectric effect. He made his last major scientific discovery on the association of waves with matter in 1924. In 1933, he emigrated to the United States due to the Nazi's takeover of Germany. He spent the rest of his career at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey, and died in 1955. Albert Einstein's insight and knowledge of physics and mathematics had a great impact on society's understanding of the sciences and on the direction that modern-day science has progressed. His desire to penetrate the mysteries of the universe revolutionized scientific thought in the field of physics. This was a man of average, middle-class upbringing with quite liberal parents who encouraged his passion for knowledge. Albert's creative push to understand highly abstract ideas symbolizes the potential of the individual to manifest true change. Each one of us also has this potential to bring about change in accord with our unique perspectives. Change is continually occurring. It's just a question of whether we want to be an active participant within this change or simply follow in the path of its wake. Jeremy Day as an individual and no man idolized". Further Reading:
1) Ireland, Karin (1989) "Albert Einstein: Pioneer in Change". Silver Burdett Press. 2) Mcpherson, Stephanie (1995) "Ordinary genius: The Story Of Albert Einstein". Carolrhoda Books.
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