20th Century Genius - Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is an icon in the field of science and regarded as the most important and influential scientist of the twentieth century. Einstein gained notoriety for his Annus Mirabilis papers, his theory of relativity and receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics. His brilliant discoveries affected the way the world and the universe are perceived. Furthermore, he won over the common people even though he spoke the complicated language of mathematics.
Synopsis of Einstein’s life and times Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Wurttemberg, Germany (Belanger, 2006). The family moved to Munich shortly after Albert’s birth. Einstein was surrounded by a family of intellectuals. Hermann Einstein, his father, was an electrician. Hermann and his brother Jakob established Einstein and Cie., an electrical engineering company. Hermann showed his son a magnetic compass which fascinated the four or five year old Einstein. At an early age, Einstein was convinced that there had to be “something behind things, something deeply hidden” (Bellis, 2007). Einstein’s uncle, Caesar Koch, also an engineer, had a profound influence upon the young Einstein. Koch revealed the fascinating side of mathematics to Einstein. Controversy lies in whether Einstein was developmentally disabled; however, it is more likely that Einstein may have suffered from dyslexia or Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism (Berlanger, 2006). Einstein learned to speak late and was a slow talker; however, he was anything but a slow learner. Einstein excelled far above his classmates at mathematics, but struggled in other subjects. He wrote his first scientific paper when he was a teenager. In 1894, Einstein applied for admission to the Swiss Federal Institute Technology (Eidgenoessische Polytechnische Schule or ETH) in Zurich, but failed the entrance examination. The rector recommended Einstein attend the Kantonsschule in the town of Aarau to further his education. In 1897, he was accepted to the
Synopsis of Einstein’s life and times Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Wurttemberg, Germany (Belanger, 2006). The family moved to Munich shortly after Albert’s birth. Einstein was surrounded by a family of intellectuals. Hermann Einstein, his father, was an electrician. Hermann and his brother Jakob established Einstein and Cie., an electrical engineering company. Hermann showed his son a magnetic compass which fascinated the four or five year old Einstein. At an early age, Einstein was convinced that there had to be “something behind things, something deeply hidden” (Bellis, 2007). Einstein’s uncle, Caesar Koch, also an engineer, had a profound influence upon the young Einstein. Koch revealed the fascinating side of mathematics to Einstein. Controversy lies in whether Einstein was developmentally disabled; however, it is more likely that Einstein may have suffered from dyslexia or Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism (Berlanger, 2006). Einstein learned to speak late and was a slow talker; however, he was anything but a slow learner. Einstein excelled far above his classmates at mathematics, but struggled in other subjects. He wrote his first scientific paper when he was a teenager. In 1894, Einstein applied for admission to the Swiss Federal Institute Technology (Eidgenoessische Polytechnische Schule or ETH) in Zurich, but failed the entrance examination. The rector recommended Einstein attend the Kantonsschule in the town of Aarau to further his education. In 1897, he was accepted to the
References: Bellis, Mary (2007) Albert Einstein – biography. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bleinstein.htm Berlanger, Craig (January, 2006) Albert Einstein: The path to relativity. p1. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from EBSCOhost database. Fiero, G.K. (2006). The humanistic tradition. (Books 6). (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Kupper, Hans-Josef (April 2007) Albert Einstein in the World Wide Web. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://www.einstein-website.de Raiha, Evelyn (2007) Scientists working for peace. Retrieved December 1, 2007, from http://sg.geocities.com/raiha_evelyn/aftermath.html