About this person
Albert Einstein ranks among the most important physicists of all time. He became known primarily for the theory of relativity, which fundamentally changed the understanding of time, space, gravity and energy. His name also gradually became a general symbol of exceptional intelligence and scientific genius.
He was born in Ulm, Germany, on 14 March 1879. He studied physics and mathematics in Switzerland but initially struggled to obtain a university position. He therefore joined the patent office in Bern, where he worked on his own scientific theories in his spare time.
In 1905, he published several groundbreaking papers. He described the special theory of relativity, explained the photoelectric effect and introduced the famous relationship E = mc², according to which matter and energy can be converted into one another. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for explaining the photoelectric effect.
Einstein also worked in Prague, where he taught theoretical physics from 1911 to 1912. Following the rise of Nazism, he left for the United States because of his Jewish background. He died in Princeton on 18 April 1955, but his discoveries continue to influence physics, astronomy and modern technology.