20th Century Pioneer

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)

Albert Einstein was born in Germany, his family moved to Switzerland in 1894.  He graduated from the University of Zurich in 1905.  Early in his career he published articles on Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect and his special theory of relativity.

He worked as a patent examiner in Switzerland, and later in Germany, was a director of the Kaiser Wilheim Institute.  In 1921 he received the Nobel Prize for his work on the photoelectric effect. 

When Hitler came to power in Germany, Einstein immigrated to the United States.  He became a professor at Princeton University and performed research in an attempt to unify the field theories of relativity and gravitation.

Einstein’s letter to President Roosevelt encouraging research on nuclear energy was accepted and the government funded the Manhattan project. This project led the development of the atomic bomb.

Source:  Columbia Encyclopedia