When people think of a “genius,” Albert Einstein is often the first name that pops into their heads. The theory of relativity, one of the cornerstones of contemporary physics, is one of his most widely read works. The mass-energy equivalence, also known as E=mc2, was also developed by him and is arguably the most well-known equation in the world.
The scientific community’s understanding of the universe and its workings has been fundamentally altered by Albert Einstein’s many contributions. Discover more about this brilliant physicist with this list of interesting facts about Albert Einstein.
1. At the Age of 16, He Abandoned His German Citizenship.
A lifelong “citizen of the world,” Albert Einstein always despised nationalism. He gave up his German citizenship when he was 16 and remained a “stateless person” until he became a citizen of Switzerland in 1901.
2. He Tied the Knot with The Only Girl in His Physics Class.
At the Zürich Polytechnic, Einstein’s section had only one female student, Mileva Mari. Though she had dreams of becoming a physicist before she met and married Albert Einstein, she put those plans on hold to raise his children. (Play “When Albert Met Mileva” on Netflix.)
3. The Fbi File on Him Was 1,427 Pages Long.
The FBI began compiling its file on Albert Einstein in 1933.
just before his third visit to the United States There would eventually be 1,427 pages here, all detailing Einstein’s involvement with socialist and peace groups throughout his life. The U.S. State Department ultimately rejected J. Edgar Hoover’s recommendation that Einstein is barred from entering the country under the Alien Exclusion Act.
4. He Fathered a Child by An Unwed Mother.
During a visit to her family in Serbia in 1902, Einstein’s future wife Mileva unexpectedly gave birth to a daughter. Historians speculate that the infant Lieserl died young, possibly from scarlet fever, or was given up for adoption. Einstein probably never got to meet his daughter. It wasn’t until a compilation of Einstein’s letters was released to the public in 1987 that Lieserl became widely known.
5. He Used the Money from His Nobel Prize to Buy His First Wife a Divorce.
When Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Mari, learned he was nominated for a Nobel Prize, he gave her all the money he was expecting to win.
in the hopes that she’d give him a divorce. The total of the award was $32,250, which was more than ten times the average professor’s annual salary at the time.
6. The Couple Had Six Children Together.
the niece of Albert’s maternal aunt was the first cousin once removed. Furthermore, Elsa and Albert shared a common ancestor, making them second cousins. Einstein was her mother’s maiden name.
7. He Was a Human Rights Advocate Long Before the Movement Was Even a Concept.
A champion of free expression and civil liberties, Einstein. In 1951, when W.E.B. Du Bois was indicted as an unregistered agent for a foreign power, Albert Einstein offered to testify as a character witness on his behalf. The judge decided to throw out the case after hearing that Einstein would be testifying on behalf of Du Bois’s attorney.
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8. His Son Spent the Majority of His Adult Life in A Mental Institution.
They called Eduard, Albert’s second son, “Tete,” and he spent most of his adult life in an institution after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Eduard loved Freud and the field of psychoanalysis. After his son immigrated to the United States in 1933, Albert never saw him again, though the two wrote to each other regularly. There, at the age of 55, Eduard passed away in a mental health facility.
9. He and The Man Known as “the Father of Chemical Warfare” Had a Tumultuous Relationship.
was a German chemist who became close with Einstein after the latter moved to Berlin. Before the rise of the Nazis, Haber, a Jew who had converted to Christianity, encouraged Einstein to do the same. During World War I, he created a lethal chlorine gas that was heavier than air and could flow down into the trenches, where it burned through the throats and lungs of the soldiers it suffocated. The term “father of chemical warfare” has been applied to Haber.
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10. He Slept With A Woman Who Was Suspected of Being a Russian Spy.
The two began dating in 1935 after being introduced by Einstein’s stepdaughter, Margot. Nine of Einstein’s love letters to Konenkova were auctioned off by Sotheby’s in 1998.
The letters were written between 1945 and 1946. Historians have not confirmed that Konenkova was indeed a Russian agent, as claimed in a book written by a Russian spymaster.