Albert Einstein and His Incredible Life Story: The Giant with his Tongue!

Do you think, “Are geniuses ordinary human like us?” What comes to mind when you hear the words “Albert Einstein“? His famous photo with his tongue out, his disheveled white hair, maybe the formula E=mc², right? Yes, all of this is true, but A. Einstein had an incredible intelligence, a deep sense of curiosity, and a unique character who could look at the world from a completely different perspective, far beyond these popular images. Let’s not forget that he was also a German, although he was not a political figure like Bismarck or Hitler.

Born in Ulm, Germany in 1879, Einstein attracted attention with the curiosity and questioning mindset he showed at a young age. Although he sometimes had difficulties in his education, his interest in scientific thought made him different and led him to develop theories that took him beyond classical physics.

The theory of relativity, which Einstein put forward in 1905, radically shook all known understandings of time, space, and mass, and breathed new life into physics. Einstein, who not only achieved scientific success throughout his life, was also an active figure in peace, human rights and free thought. Einstein, who was not indifferent to the political and social events of his time, played a major role in the shaping of the modern world both as a scientist and a thinker.

In this article, we will try to get to know the real Einstein behind that iconic image in the most sincere and understandable way, from his childhood to his discoveries that turned the world of science upside down, from his Nobel Prize to his fight for peace.

Fasten your seat belts, because we are going on a delightful journey into the life of a man who changed your perception of time and space!

Curious Child Einstein’s Humble Early Years

Like every great story, Einstein’s began on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany. He was the first child of a middle-class Jewish family, whose father was an engineer and salesman and whose mother was a housewife. According to legend, little Albert started talking quite late, and his family even worried that he might have a mental problem. But behind that silence was a mind that tried to make sense of the world, questioning everything. Perhaps that was why he would always look at the things around him that were considered “normal” with a different eye. His silence was actually a build-up before the storm; a silence in which ideas that would shake the universe were fermented.

One of the most well-known anecdotes about Einstein’s childhood is the enlightenment he experienced when he was sick in bed with a compass his father gave him. The fact that the compass needle always pointed north with an invisible force deeply affected little Albert and engraved the question “How could this happen?” in his mind. This endless sense of curiosity would guide his entire life. Things were a little different at school. He did not like the authoritarian, rote-learning German education system. He was a “rebellious” student who had difficulty following the rules and questioned his teachers’ questions. For him, the important thing was to understand the information, not to repeat it like a parrot.

Moving to Italy due to his family’s work was a kind of freedom for Einstein. There, he escaped the oppressive atmosphere of his German high school and devoted himself to books and self-study. Later, he went to Switzerland and managed to enter the famous Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich (ETH Zurich). However, he could not be said to be an exemplary student who attended classes regularly and took notes. He preferred to work on subjects he was interested in, spend time in the library and benefit from the lecture notes of his friends.

Perhaps this independent learning style was one of the things that pushed him to think outside the box and think original.

Einstein and the Swedish Years After Graduation

After graduation, he had a hard time finding a job. He dreamed of an academic position but could not find the opportunity he wanted. He even tried to support himself by giving private lessons and selling insurance policies for a while. Finally, with the help of a friend’s father, he found a job as a “third-class expert” at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. This would have been a disappointment for many people, but for Einstein, this “ordinary” job at the patent office actually gave him plenty of time to think and mental freedom. While he was examining the inventions of others, he was trying to solve the secrets of the universe in his own mind.

Mileva Marić, a Serbian physicist who entered his life during this period, was also an important figure for Einstein. Mileva, who was his classmate at ETH Zurich, was an intelligent and passionate woman. It is said that she supported Einstein in his scientific studies, exchanged ideas with him, and even contributed to the development of some of his theories. Over time, their relationship turned into love and they got married. They had children from this marriage.

Mileva’s presence was at Einstein’s side, both as a personal and intellectual support during those “miracle years” when his genius shone. Behind a genius mind always lies a complex and human story.

“Miracle Year” to the Nobel: Einstein’s Discoveries

When the calendar showed the year 1905, Albert Einstein, that “ordinary” patent office employee in Bern, published four articles that would create a seismic effect in the world of science. He was only 26 years old, and these articles would fundamentally change our understanding of physics. That is why 1905 is known in the history of science as the “Annus Mirabilis” or “Miracle Year“. Just think, four revolutionary ideas from a single brain in a single year! At that time, physicists thought that the secrets of the universe had been largely solved, and only a few small details remained. Einstein, on the other hand, would show that those “small details” actually opened the doors to a brand new universe.

The first of these articles explained the photoelectric effect. He solved the phenomenon of light removing electrons from metals by proposing that light was not only a wave but also consisted of energy packets (quanta) called “photons”. This was a giant leap that laid the foundations of quantum physics, and it was the work that would earn Einstein the Nobel Prize in Physics years later, in 1921. Many people think that he won the Nobel Prize for his Theory of Relativity, but in fact the award was for this contribution to the quantum world. This dual nature of light (both wave and particle) completely contradicted the classical understanding of physics at the time and started a whole new debate.

His second paper examined Brownian motion, the random motion of small particles in a liquid. Einstein mathematically demonstrated that these motions were evidence for the existence of atoms and molecules. At that time, the existence of atoms was still a theory that was not fully accepted. Einstein’s work provided strong experimental support for atomic theory and was an important milestone in our efforts to understand the structure of matter. In other words, it helped us open the doors to that tiny world that we cannot see with the naked eye.

Einstein and the Theory of Relativity Revolution!

And now we come to the famous Theory of Special Relativity! In his third article, Einstein proposed that time and space are not absolute and can change according to the movement of the observer. He stated that the speed of light is a universal constant and that nothing can travel faster than light. This theory introduced concepts that were unimaginable until then, such as time dilation (fast-moving clocks slowing down) and length contraction. And of course, he presented the world’s most famous equation, E=mc², which states that energy is equivalent to mass, to humanity with this theory. This equation would later open the door to nuclear energy and, unfortunately, the atomic bomb.

Einstein was not content with Special Relativity. About ten years later, in 1915, he published the Theory of General Relativity, which explained gravity from a completely new perspective. Contrary to Newton’s definition of gravity as a force, Einstein said that mass and energy curve space-time and that gravity was a result of this curvature. So, if the planets orbit the Sun, it is not because the Sun is pulling on them, but because the Sun is bending space-time around it, creating a kind of “dimple.”

When this revolutionary theory was proven by Arthur Eddington’s observations of a solar eclipse in 1919, Einstein became a worldwide superstar overnight. He was no longer just a scientist, but a pop-culture icon and a symbol of genius.

Einstein’s Worldview: Peace and His Last Years

With the proof of the Theory of General Relativity, Albert Einstein’s name became known all over the world. Newspapers were always on the front pages, and his conferences were packed. He used this fame as a platform to share not only his scientific ideas, but also his worldview, philosophy and human values. Because Einstein was not a scientist who locked himself in his laboratory and worked only on equations; he was also an activist and a humanist who raised his voice against injustices, wars and discrimination in the world. His words on peace and freedom are as engraved in our memories as the poses he gave with his messy hair and pipe.

Einstein was a passionate pacifist, or anti-war, throughout his life. After seeing the meaninglessness and destruction of World War I, he opposed nationalism and militarism. He advocated international cooperation, disarmament and peaceful resolution of disputes. Due to his Jewish identity, he was in great danger with the rise of the Nazis in Germany. His ideas were branded as “Jewish physics” and his books were burned. As a result of this pressure, he was forced to leave Germany in 1933 and immigrated to the United States, where he would spend the rest of his life.

Einstein began working at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in America, where he continued his struggle for peace and human rights. However, the outbreak of World War II and Nazi Germany’s potential to develop an atomic bomb forced him to face one of the most difficult decisions of his life. With the warning of some other scientists, he wrote a letter to US President Roosevelt, stating that work on developing an atomic bomb should begin.

His aim was to prevent the Nazis from obtaining this terrible weapon before it happened. However, after seeing the destruction caused by the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he felt great regret and worked to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons until the end of his life.

Unified Field Theory and God Does Not Play Dice!

As for his scientific work, Einstein devoted his last years to developing the Unified Field Theory. His goal was to unify all the fundamental forces in the universe (gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear forces) in a single mathematical framework. This was an extremely ambitious goal, also seen as the “holy grail” of physics. However, despite all his efforts, he could not complete this theory. He could not fully reconcile with some aspects of quantum mechanics throughout his life, especially as he expressed in the saying “God does not play dice“, and he maintained his belief that the universe operates according to certain laws, not based on probabilities.

Albert Einstein passed away in Princeton on April 18, 1955. However, the legacy he left behind was not just scientific equations and theories. He also became a symbol of independent thinking, curiosity, questioning and serving humanity. In addition to his revolutionary contributions to science, he also inspired millions of people with his peaceful stance, humorous personality and unforgettable words. Even today, when we say “Einstein”, we think not only of a genius, but also of a timeless sage who represents the collective conscience of humanity.

Here is Albert Einstein! A personality too colorful to be remembered with just E=mc², too profound to be defined as just a scientist, and too wise to be remembered with just his famous tongue-sticking pose. Throughout his life, he pursued his curiosity, questioned what he knew, challenged authority, and most importantly, he strived to leave a better future for humanity.