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The Patent Office Physicist

Albert Einstein: Who was Albert Einstein?

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Here is the story of Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein was a physicist. Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. He was born in Germany. It was in the city of Ulm. Albert grew up in Munich. Munich is a city in Germany. He started school in Munich. Albert had one sister. She was born after him.

Next comes a little boy, his father and a compass. Albert was four or five years old. His father showed him a compass. Albert could not see what made the compass needle move. The compass deeply impressed Albert as a little boy. The sense of wonder that the compass gave Albert lasted his whole life. Albert took violin lessons as a boy.

Next comes school and work. Einstein did very well in math and science at school. Albert finished his school studies in Aarau, Switzerland. It was at the Cantonal School. Einstein became a Swiss citizen in 1901. After university, Einstein could not find a teaching job. He took a job at the patent office. Einstein worked in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland.

Next comes his best work. Albert Einstein did much of his best work in his spare time. He did it while he worked at the patent office. In 1905, Einstein published four groundbreaking science articles. He first proposed his special theory of relativity in 1905. Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics. His ideas changed how scientists think about time, space and the universe.

Next come the later years. He grew to love music and the violin. The passion stayed with him into his later years. Einstein lived and worked in Princeton, New Jersey, in his later years. His house had a garden at 112 Mercer Street. Einstein became famous around the world. Einstein is famous for the equation E=mc2.

Words to know

  • compass: shown to Albert
  • patent: where he worked
  • physicist: what Albert was
  • articles: four in 1905

The short version

Albert Einstein was a physicist born in Ulm, Germany, on March 14, 1879. After university, he could not find a teaching job and took a job at the patent office. He did much of his best work in his spare time while he worked there. His ideas changed how scientists think about time, space and the universe.

Quick facts

  • Einstein is famous for the equation E=mc2.
  • In 1905, Einstein published four groundbreaking science articles.
  • Einstein became a Swiss citizen in 1901.
  • Einstein lived and worked in Princeton, New Jersey, in his later years.

What was Einstein's most famous work about?

Einstein developed the theory of relativity. His ideas changed how scientists think about time, space and the universe. He is also famous for the equation E=mc2.

Where did Einstein work as a young man?

After university, Einstein could not find a teaching job and took a job at the patent office. He did much of his best work in his spare time while he worked there.

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