"Why is it that nobody understands me, but everybody likes me?"
I was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich and I began my schooling there at the Luitpold Gymnasium. Later, they moved to Italy and I continued my education at Aarau, Switzerland and in 1896 I entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year I gained my diploma, I acquired Swiss citizenship and, as I was unable to find a teaching post, I accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 I obtained my doctor's degree.
During my stay at the Patent Office, and in my spare time, I produced much of my work and in 1908 I was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 I became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 1914 I was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. I became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when I renounced my citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton*. I became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from my post in 1945.
After World War II, I was a leading figure in the World Government Movement, I was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which I declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
I always tried to appear to have a clear view of the problems of physics and the determination to solve them. I had a strategy of my own and was able to visualize the main stages on the way to my goal. I regarded my major achievements as mere stepping-stones for the next advance.
At the start of my scientific work, I realized the inadequacies of Newtonian mechanics and my special theory of relativity stemmed from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. I dealt with classical problems of statistical mechanics and problems in which they were merged with quantum theory: that led to an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules. I investigated the thermal properties of light with a low radiation density and my observations laid the foundation of the photon theory of light.
In my early days in Berlin, I postulated that the correct interpretation of the special theory of relativity must also furnish a theory of gravitation and in 1916 I published my paper on the general theory of relativity. During that time he also contributed to the problems of the theory of radiation and statistical mechanics.
In the 1920's, I embarked on the construction of unified field theories, although I continued to work on the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory, and I persevered with that work in America. I contributed to statistical mechanics by my development of the quantum theory of a monatomic gas and I have also accomplished valuable work in connection with atomic transition probabilities and relativistic cosmology.
After my retirement I continued to work towards the unification of the basic concepts of physics, taking the opposite approach, geometrisation, to the majority of physicists.
My researches are, of course, well chronicled and my more important works include Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English translations, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution of Physics (1938). Among my non-scientific works, About Zionism (1930), Why War? (1933), My Philosophy (1934), and Out of My Later Years (1950) are perhaps the most important.
I received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. During the 1920's I lectured in Europe, America and the Far East and I was awarded Fellowships or Memberships of all the leading scientific academies throughout the world. I gained numerous awards in recognition of my work, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1925, and the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1935.
My gifts inevitably resulted in my dwelling much in intellectual solitude and, for relaxation, music played an important part in my life. I married Mileva Maric in 1903 and we had a daughter and two sons; our marriage was dissolved in 1919 and in the same year I married my cousin, Elsa Löwenthal, who died in 1936.
Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955 at Princeton, New Jersey.
From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901-1921, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1967
That autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. To cite the document, always state the source as shown above.
* I was formally associated with the Institute for Advanced Study located in Princeton, New Jersey.
Some More info on me!
More INFO?
E=mc2 explained!
