Physics > Einstein in Time

Signs a document with Gandhi against forcing men into military service.

TIME magazine names Einstein "Person of the Century."

Dies on April 18 at Princeton Hospital.

Speaks out against the mistreatment of those unjustly accused of being communists during the era of McCarthyism.

Turns down an offer from the State of Israel, which is 4 years old, to be its president.

Becomes a U.S. citizen.

Writes to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging U.S. to develop atomic energy research. He is concerned that Nazi Germany's research will soon allow it to build an atomic bomb. Later, he regrets sending the letter.

Gives up his job at a school in Germany as the Nazi party comes to power. Joins the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in New Jersey.

Spends several months teaching at CalTech in Pasadena, California, where his fame leads to contact with movie stars and other celebrities.

Albert Einstein is born on March 14 to a Jewish family in Ulm, Germany.

While in Jerusalem, he delivers the first scientific lecture at The Hebrew University.

Wins the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Becomes a worldwide celebrity when Sir Arthur Eddington  confirms his 1915 General Theory of Relativity. Begins to use his celebrity to champion causes he believes in, including the formation of a Jewish state.

Publishes the papers that deal with his Special Theory of Relativity, photoelectric effect, and the original version of the equation E=mc2.  This has been called his "year of miracles."

After graduating from Zurich Polytechnic Institute, he takes a job in a Swiss patent office.

Enrolls in university in Switzerland and gives up German citizenship. He later becomes a Swiss citizen.

Starts playing the violin.

Receives a compass from his dad, which sparks his curiosity about how things work. This curiosity leads to a lifelong love of physics, mathematics and philosophy.