10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT ALBERT EINSTEIN
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879 and died in Princeton, USA, in 1955. He won the Nobel Prize in 1921 and is considered one of the most groundbreaking scientists of all time, famous for his leading theories of Special Relativity (1905) and General Relativity (1915).
Einstein was not only an important physicist but was also something of an icon of the 20th century, with the famous photo of his wild white hair and tongue sticking out.
Throughout his life, the great thinker gained global fame
Throughout his life, the great thinker gained global fame and admiration but also had his fair share of critics. In 1933 when Einstein said he would never return to Germany, a Berlin newspaper printed a headline saying, ‘Good news from Einstein – he’s not coming back!’.
Here we look at 10 fascinating facts about the life of Albert Einstein.
1. He wrote his first scientific paper when he was 16
It is sometimes said that Einstein wasn’t exactly a swot at school, but this isn’t quite true. One of his schoolteachers did tell him that he wouldn’t amount to anything, but this was probably more to do with his desire to question everything and his refusal to accept things as fixed – something that later informed the way he studied the universe.
Einstein did initially leave school at 15 and did fail some exams
Einstein did initially leave school at 15 and did fail some exams, but this was because of his poor grasp of French as a youngster. He was certainly a child prodigy, though, and was outstanding at Latin, geometry, maths, and a fantastic violin player.
At the age of 16 Einstein wrote his first scientific paper, called ‘The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields’.
He and Oppenheimer were friends
American scientist Robert Oppenheimer, known as the ‘father of the atom bomb’, knew Einstein for decades. Oppenheimer opened up about his friendship with Einstein at a talk he gave in Paris in 1966. He also addressed the then-popular misconception that Einstein was the driving force behind the atomic bomb.
Einstein, after the war, nonetheless expressed regret at the letter to Roosevelt, saying: ‘Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing.’
Einstein could see the potentially catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons. He once said, ‘I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.’
Einstein could see the potentially catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons. He once said, ‘I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.’
3. He may have had a fling with Marilyn Monroe
3. He may have had a fling with Marilyn Monroe
A popular legend about Einstein is that he had a liaison with Marilyn Monroe. There is no evidence that the two ever met, but Shelley Winters, who shared an apartment with Monroe in the 1940s, claimed that when they were compiling a list of fantasy flings, one of the names Monroe jotted down was the ageing physicist. When Winters mentioned Einstein’s advanced years, she claimed that Monroe replied, ‘That has nothing to do with it. I hear he’s very healthy.’ Monroe was also said to have had a photo of him on her piano.
Monroe may certainly have been an admirer of Einstein’s intellect, though, if nothing else, as she was an avid reader with a personal library of hundreds of first editions, and her third husband was playwright, Arthur Miller. READ MORE