Norwich Grace - I Am Albert Einstein

When I was twenty-six years old, I changed our ideas about the universe. People later called it my miracle year because, while working as a clerk in a government patent office, I came up with new equations and formulas that would eventually lead to all sorts of inventions, from cell phones to space travel. They included the theory of relativity and my famous equation E = mc .

So you can say I was a success, perhaps even the most famous scientist of all time. As proof my name has become another word for genius. But I didnt start out that way. In fact when I was a little boy my teachers didnt think I would amount to very much.

Thats because I wasnt like everyone else. Okay, I was strange. I didnt enjoy playing games with the other students and thought class was a total bore (which my teachers did not appreciate). Instead I preferred to spend time alonethinking.

Sure, I loved my little sister, Maja, and my parents. But I found a big and exciting world right inside my own head. Although my area of science was physicsthe study of matter and energy, including how objects behave in motionmy mind was my best laboratory. (I was actually such a klutz in real labs that I once caused an explosion.) Thats because I always had a huge imagination. I pictured the most amazing things, such as what it would be like to travel on a beam of light, and asked big questions, like how the universe worked.

Then I spent years patiently looking at patterns and working on complicated math problems to find the answers. It wasnt easy. I was wrong many times before I was right. But I was never afraid to make mistakes. Youll always make mistakes when you try something new. Its just part of the process.

Fueled by my legendary curiosity, my discoveries in science led to lots of practical inventions, such as smoke alarms and automatic doors. They also led to faraway places, like the origin of the universe and expanding galaxies. And it all started in my mind. Imagination is more important than knowledge, I once said. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. I am Albert Einstein.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

The most famous physicist in history, who used his mind to make amazing new discoveries that changed science and the world forever.

PAULINE EINSTEIN:

Alberts mother, who gave her son a love of music by making him stick with violin lessons. Playing the violin became one of his lifes passions.

HERMANN EINSTEIN:

Alberts father, who ran a gas and electrical supply company in Munich with his brother Jakob. He gave a compass to young Albert as a gift, the mechanics of which sparked a lifelong curiosity and passion for problem solving.

JAKOB EINSTEIN*:

Alberts uncle, an engineer and inventor. He had a scientific mind and would often make up complex math problems for his little nephew to solve.

*Artist's rendering

MAJA EINSTEIN:

Alberts sister, with whom he had a close relationship. She never seemed to mind being in the shadow of her famous big brother.

MAX TALMUD:

A poor medical student who had meals at the Einstein home. He introduced young Albert to geometry and to the writings of famous philosophers.

MILEVA MARIC:

Alberts first wife and the only female student in the physics department of their college. She and her husband had a lot of common interests, though this wasnt enough to keep their marriage together. After she gave birth to two sonsHans Albert and Eduardshe and Albert divorced.

MARCEL GROSSMANN:

An organized math student at Alberts college, who became Alberts friend for life. He helped Albert reach his goals by sharing his class notes and finding a job for the hapless genius.

ELSA LWENTHAL:

Alberts first cousin and second wife. Her cheerful disposition and ability to overlook Alberts flaws made her a good partner.

March 14, 1879

Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Germany.

1880

The Einstein family moves to Munich, Germany.

1881

Alberts sister, Maja, is born.

1884

Alberts father, Hermann, gives him a compass.

1885

Albert starts school in Munich and cant stand it from the beginning.

1895

Albert quits school in Germany to join his family in Milan.

1896

He enrolls in college at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zurich, where he still has a bad attitude about school.

1900

Albert graduates from college but struggles to find a job.

1902

With the help of college pal Marcel Grossmanns father, Albert lands a job at the Swiss patent office.

January 6, 1903

He and Mileva Maric, the only female physics student at the Polytechnic, get married.

May 14, 1904

Mileva and Alberts first son, Hans Albert, is born.

1905

Alberts miracle year, in which he publishes four scientific papers that change the conception of the universe.

July 28, 1910

His second son, Eduard, is born.

1914

Albert moves to Berlin, and World War I breaks out.