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Life Event: A Genius Is Born (part 2)
At the time, a family custom was to invite a poor Jewish student to have a weekly meal, and the Einsteins hosted a medical student: Max Talmey. He had a strong influence on young Einstein as they spoke about science. This is significant as the scientific ideas made an impression on Albert, marking the true start of his lifelong studies of physics. Einstein began to teach himself higher level mathematics, soon grasping concepts that most adults could not comprehend (Dank 3-6, 8-9). -
Life Event: A Genius Is Born (part 1)
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany to parents Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch. His father was a friendly, optimistic man who ran a business, and his mother was sweet and cultured. As a child, Einstein was a slow developer, and couldn’t speak as early as others. He would ponder a question long before answering it, and even at the age of nine his speech wasn’t completely fluent. -
World Event: The Establishment of the Indian National Congress (part 2)
This is significant because the Indian National Congress was representative of the middle-class people who now had a say in the government and its interactions, and helped to push the country further towards independence from Britain (Walsh 154). -
World Event: The Establishment of the Indian National Congress (part 1)
In December of 1885, 73 delegates from British India came together in Bombay, present-day Mumbai, for a conference over the duration of three days. This was known as the first meeting of the Indian National Congress. The English-educated delegates represented each province of British India. Fifty-four were Hindu, two were Muslim, and the remaining seventeen were from the Parsi or Jaina communities. -
World Event: Women's Suffrage In New Zealand (part 1)
For most of the period 1870 to 1890, New Zealand suffered an economic depression under a conservative government that prefered the rich landlord class. In 1889, the government allowed men over the age of 21 the right to vote after agitation by the people. A general election held the following year produced a liberal government which quickly began to introduce and bring about social reforms, including factory laws regulating working conditions and votes for women in 1893. -
World Event: Women's Suffrage In New Zealand (part 2)
This is significant because New Zealand was the first country to give the right to vote for women during this time. People deserve a voice in their government and country, regardless of their gender (History of the World 288). -
Life Event: Einstein's Education (part 1)
After his father’s business failed in 1894, Einstein’s family moved to Milan, Italy. Albert stayed in Munich to continue his schooling, but later joined his family in Milan and focused purely on mathematics, teaching himself calculus. In 1895, he went to Zürich to take the entrance exam at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic Institute. Einstein failed the exam, but eventually passed after a year of study at the Aarau gymnasium. -
Life Event: Einstein's Education (part 2)
He received his degree four years later, but after graduating, Albert Einstein had trouble finding a job. He received an appointment at the Swiss Patent Office in 1901, and since the job was not extremely burdensome, he had time to study on his own. This is significant because during the seven years he worked there, he worked for his doctorate at the University of Zürich and wrote some of the most important papers in scientific history (“Albert Einstein” pars. 2-4). -
Life Event: Einstein and his Wife (part 2)
This is significant because Einstein was becoming a sophisticated young man with goals. He had started a family with a woman he loved, and his studies were going smoothly (History.com pars. 3-4). -
Life Event: Einstein and his Wife (part 1)
In 1903, Albert Einstein married Mileva Maric, a fellow student who he had met at Zurich Polytechnic. While they were studying together, the two fell in love. However, Einstein’s parents did not like them as a couple and he didn’t have enough money to marry at the time. After obtaining his position at the Swiss patent office, the two were able to get married, and later had two children: Hans Albert and Eduard. -
Life Event: The Four Important Papers (part 1)
Einstein wrote a variety of papers in 1905. The first dealt with the quantum theory, and he applied it to light in order to explain the photoelectric effect. The second paper contained his proof of atoms’ existence, which was developed by considering Brownian motion. In the third paper, Einstein introduced his special theory of relativity, which said that the laws of physics and the speed of light are the same, even for objects moving in constant speeds relative to each other. -
Life Event: The Four Important Papers (part 2)
A fourth paper explained the fundamental relationship between mass and energy, explained through his famous equation of E = mc^2 where c is the constant, the speed of light. This is significant because Einstein developed groundbreaking theories that are important to the world today. His work has helped to improve and advance the community of science (History.com pars. 4-5). -
World Event: The Beginning of the Great War (part 1)
On July 28, 1914, World War I had begun. There were two main sides in the war: the Central Powers, which consisted of Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria-Hungary, and the Allies, which included France, Great Britain, and Russia. Military experts and others thought the war would go on for about six weeks, but neither side had “achieved the immediate breakthrough it planned” (Neill 169). This led to the war settling at a stalemate, with the main tactic being trench warfare at the front. -
World Event: The Beginning of the Great War (part 2)
This event is significant because it broke up the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Turkish empires, and brought many deaths; about 8.5 million. The “Great War” had a devastating impact on the world. It would also eventually lead to various worldwide conflicts, despite it being known as “the war to end all wars” at the time (Neill 168-170, 174). -
Life Event: Einstein Publishes His Theory of General Relativity (part 2)
Based on his equivalence principle, which said that gravity’s pull in one direction is equivalent to an acceleration of speed in the opposite direction, he thought that light was bent by acceleration and gravity. This is significant because two expeditions during a solar eclipse concluded that light from stars was bent by the gravity of the sun, like Einstein predicted. His theories were becoming more useful and applicable to the real world (History.com par 6). -
Life Event: Einstein Publishes His Theory of General Relativity (part 1)
Albert Einstein worked at the patent office until 1909, when he received an academic post at the University of Zurich. In 1913, he went to the University of Berlin, and he became the director of Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. He also developed a love interest for his cousin Elsa Lowenthal, and eventually married her after divorcing Mileva. In 1915 Einstein published the general theory of relativity, and it found that gravity, as well as motion, can affect time and space. -
Life Event: Winning of a Nobel Prize
In 1921, Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his paper on the photoelectric effect (History.com par. 7). He said that when light is reflected on a metal, electrons in the metal absorb energy from the light. If enough energy is absorbed, the electrons can escape from the metal, and if there isn’t enough energy, they remain in the metal. This is significant because his prediction was confirmed twice, and this law helped to revolutionize physics (“Albert Einstein” pars. 9-10). -
World Event: The Great Depression (part 2)
Due to the gold standard, which established a stable currency exchange internationally, the depression spread to Europe and other parts of the world. This is significant because this event in history led to the unemployment of many, and hurt not only the American economy, but economies all over the world. People were struggling financially and could not find proper employment to support themselves or their families (History.com pars. 1-5, 10). -
World Event: The Great Depression (part 1)
The Great Depression, which was triggered by the stock market crash of October 1929, lasted until 1939. During the 1920s, many people were spending money on stocks. However, production declined and unemployment rose, leaving stock prices higher than their actual value. The “worst economic downturn” sent Wall Street into a panic, wiping out investors and companies. Consumer spending declined, and by 1933, 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks failed. -
Life Event: Albert Einstein Goes to America (part 2)
This is significant because Albert Einstein traveled to a different part of the world to continue his research and gain more opportunities. He was also able to experience a better life than in Germany (“Albert Einstein" pars. 20-21). -
Life Event: Albert Einstein Goes to America (part 1)
After Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Albert Einstein decided to move to the United States in December of 1932, as he would be in danger in Germany because of his Jewish background. He started to work at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (History.com par. 8). Einstein became an American citizen in 1940. -
World Event: The Second World War (part 1)
World War II began on September 1, 1939. It was fought between the Axis and Allied Powers. The Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Allied Powers included Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and France. The German invasion of Poland is known to be the incident that sparked the beginning of the war. The second world war was the deadliest international war. -
World Event: The Second World War (part 2)
An event that took place during the war was the Holocaust, in which the Germans under Hitler and his Nazi Party, planned out a genocide of about 6 million Jews, as they believed them and other members of society to be inferior. This is significant because it was the largest conflict in world history, resulted in a massive amount of death and casualties, and also introduced new weapons and machinery (“World War II” pars. 1, 4-5, 9). -
Life Event: The Manhattan Project (part 1)
In 1940, Einstein became a part of a political debate about the use of nuclear weapons. Scientists and leaders thought that Hitler might manufacture a bomb before them, so they recruited Einstein to help them. Albert Einstein was asked to sign a letter addressed to the president, and in it he described nuclear fission and the potential of research for the developing of weapons. -
Life Event: The Manhattan Project (part 2)
In 1941, President Roosevelt ordered the production of an atomic bomb. This is significant because Einstein helped in the Manhattan Project, which was a program that produced the world’s first nuclear weapons. Developers and researchers used his theories and work to make advances in warfare (“Albert Einstein” pars. 22-23). -
World Event: The Attack On Pearl Harbor (part 2)
Pearl Harbor was reachable by the force of aircraft, and the Japanese Navy secretly sent one across the Pacific with “greater aerial striking power than had been seen on the World’s oceans” (Naff 123). Five out of eight ships were sinking or sunk, and the rest were damaged. This is significant because the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the entering of the United States into World War II. It is also symbolic of promoting determination to defeat an enemy, betrayal, and sacrifice (Naff 122-123). -
World Event: The Attack On Pearl Harbor (part 1)
On December 7, 1941, an unexpected attack from the Japanese Navy unraveled at Pearl Harbor, removing the United States Navy’s battleship force as a potential danger to the expansion of Japan. A year and a half prior, President Roosevelt transferred the U.S. fleet to Pearl Harbor to prevent a possible Japanese attack. By November of 1941, officials of the United States were expecting an attack in the Indies, Malaya or the Philippines, but did not think about the risk of an eastern attack. -
Life Event: Einstein and Pacifism (part 2)
This is significant because he was not only a celebrated scientist, but an inspirational person based on his beliefs and actions. People idolized him, and Einstein was someone who helped others, especially Jews during the difficulties they experienced in World War II (“Albert Einstein” pars. 24-25). -
Life Event: Einstein and Pacifism (part 1)
Einstein was a pacifist, and he was against Germany’s actions on other countries during World War I. He did not like war-related research, and he was a person who believed in peace and humanity. Einstein was a member of many Zionist causes, and this led to the asking of him to become president of Israel in 1952. -
Life Event: Albert Einstein Says Farewell (part 2)
This is significant because Albert Einstein changed the world with his theories and work with physics, and made remarkable discoveries in the scientific communities. He was one of the greatest scientists in history, and left his mark on the world (Lisle par. 1). -
Life Event: Albert Einstein Says Farewell (part 1)
On April 17, 1955, Albert Einstein’s abdominal aortic aneurysm burst. The aneurysm is a spot in the vein which collects blood that needs to go to the kidneys. He went to Princeton Hospital and refused to undergo any surgery or get more medical attention, as he wanted to die when he wanted and when the time was right. In the early morning on April 18, Einstein passed away.
