Here are some facts about Einstein you probably don’t know before.
1. His father, Hermann Einstein, was a salesman and engineer. In 1880 Einstein’s father and uncle Jackob founded a company in Munich, “Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie” that produced electrical equipment based on direct current.
2. At the time of birth Einstein’s head was weird outline, i.e. the back of his head was very large. But it got normal shape within few weeks of birth.
3. Einstein had speech difficulty and could not speak even when he was 3 years old.
4. In 1894, his family had to move to Italy because of some business loss. (They lacked the resources to convert their equipment from the direct current to the alternating current). Einstein also moved to Italy after few months.
5. At the age of 16, in 1895, he took the entrance examinations for the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zürich (later known as the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH). He got surprising points in Mathematics and Physics but failed in some general subjects like history, languages. However he got admission next year in the same institute.
6. During his secondary schooling, he fell in love with Marie Winteler, who was the daughter of professor where he lodged. But he couldn’t marry her because she moved to Olsberg, Switzerland for a teaching post and Einstein got enrolled in four year mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the Zürich Polytechnic at the age of 17. (Though his father wanted him to be an electrical engineer).
7. During his graduation at Zürich Polytechnic, Einstein fell in love with his fellow, Mileva Marić. He graduated in 1900 but Mileva Marić failed the mathematics examination.
8. After graduation in 1900, Einstein spent almost 2 years unemployed. With the help of his well known friend, Marcel Grossmann's father he got a job in Bern as an assistant examiner – level III at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property.
9. In 1903, Einstein married Marić and had to sons. They were divorced in 1919 because Marić learned about Einstein’s romance with his cousin Elsa Löwenthal. Einstein then married Elsa in 1919 but she died in 1936 because of heart and kidney problems.
10. At the age of 26, Einstein was awarded a PhD degree from University of Zürich on 30 April 1905, with his thesis entitled, “A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions”. His advisor was Alfred Kleiner, a professor of Experimental Physics. Einstein published four revolutionary papers the same year and got attention in academic world.
11. He was known as a leading scientist by 1908 and was appointed as lecturer at the University of Bern. In 1909 he became associate professor in University of Zürich and in 1911 he became a full professor at the German Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague.
12. He was interested in music from early age. He wrote: “If I were not a physicist, I would possibly be a musician.”
13. Einstein has more than 300 scientific publications and over 150 non-scientific publications. He died at the age of 76 on April 18, 1955 in New Jersey, United States.
13. Einstein has more than 300 scientific publications and over 150 non-scientific publications. He died at the age of 76 on April 18, 1955 in New Jersey, United States.
15. Part of Einstein's charm was his disheveled look. In addition to his uncombed hair, one of Einstein's peculiar habits was to never wear socks. He used to go everywhere without socks.