Autobiography of Albert Einstein
Birth and Early Life
My name is Albert Einstein, and I was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire. My father Hermann Einstein was a salesman and engineer, and my mother, Pauline Koch, was a well-educated woman from a prosperous family. I have a sister, Maja, who was born two years after me.
Education and the Spark of Curiosity
At the age of five, I was introduced to a compass, and the behavior of the needle, unerringly pointing north, ignited a lifelong curiosity in me. This curiosity laid the foundation for my later works in theoretical physics. My formal education began in Munich, but I must admit, I was not the most enthusiastic student. The rigid educational system did not complement my imaginative and inquisitive mind.
My family moved to Italy in 1894 due to my father’s failing business. However, I stayed back to finish my studies at the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich. Soon, I decided to join my family in Italy, which required a doctor’s note to dismiss me from German citizenship. I continued my studies in Switzerland, and in 1896, I was enrolled in the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich. I graduated in 1900 as a teacher of physics and mathematics.
The Miracle Year
In 1905, while I was working at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, I published four papers in the journal Annalen der Physik, which revolutionized physics. This year, often referred to as my annus mirabilis or ‘miracle year’, saw the birth of the special theory of relativity and my most famous equation, E=mc². My works touched upon the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence.
Nobel Prize and the Theory of General Relativity
In 1915, I presented a series of lectures at the Prussian Academy of Sciences where I described the theory of general relativity. The theory was confirmed in 1919, during a total solar eclipse, where my predicted bending of light around the sun was observed. This catapulted me to worldwide fame. I received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, not for relativity, but for explaining the photoelectric effect.
From Europe to America
The rise of the Nazis and the increasingly hostile environment in Germany forced me to leave my homeland. I accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1933. My years at Princeton were productive, and I engaged in various scientific endeavors, though none as groundbreaking as my earlier work.
My Role in the Development of the Atomic Bomb
I must acknowledge the irony that although I was a lifelong pacifist, my work played a crucial role in the creation of the most destructive weapon in human history. When I learned that Germany might be developing an atomic bomb, I signed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging the United States to develop its own atomic bomb. This led to the establishment of the Manhattan Project. However, it should be noted, I was not directly involved in the project.
My Final Years and Legacy
I retired from the Institute for Advanced Study in 1945 and lived my final years in relative solitude, working on my unified field theory, which unfortunately remained incomplete. I passed away on April 18, 1955.
My contributions to science have left an indelible impact on the world. My name, Einstein, has become synonymous with genius. But above all, I believe my greatest contribution is to inspire curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.
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