Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a German born physicist who contributed greatly to 20th century physics. From helping develop the nuclear bomb to discovering the theory of relativity, Einstein is considered one of the most famous physicists that ever lived.

Early Life
Einstein was born to Hermann Einstein, an engineer and salesman, and Pauline Koch on March 14, 1879. Due to the fact that his father moved around many times for work, at 15 years old Albert found himself attending a school in Munich while his parents lived in Pavia. During this time, Albert dropped out of school and protested against the loss of creativity due to the strict rules of the school. Einstein eventually took the entrance exams for the Swiss federal polytechnic in Zurich and passed his math and science exam with very high scores, but his performance in other categories was not satisfactory, leading Einstein to return to school to complete his secondary education.

College years
After completing secondary school at Argovian cantonal school, Einstein enrolled in a 4 year math and physics teaching diploma program at Zurich tech. Although Einstein was only 17 at the time, he passed his entrance exams with high scores and was finally accepted into the university.

Contributions to Physics
Throughout his life, Einstein created concepts that still help physicists today. His earliest work contributed to the development of quantum theory through his explanation of the photoelectric effect that explains the emission of electrons or other free carriers when light is shone onto material. Einstein also was able to discover his most famous theory, the theory of relativity, that provided a new way to conceptualize the space-time relationship. Through Albert's equation, E=mc^2, physicists were finally able to understand and develop different phenomenon that occur in the natural world, such as electromagnets, GPS, and even why the color gold looks the way that it does. Albert Einstein's contributions greatly shaped the physics of the mid 20th century and still continue to impact the world on a daily basis.

Recognition and Awards
Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect, but he also won many awards for his other contributions to science. For example, Albert Einstein won the Barnard medal for meritorious service to science in 1921 and was also named as Time's person of the century in 1999, a title that proves not only Einstein's influence on the world of science, but also his impact on the everyday person of the time.