Albert Einstein
Turned down for academic posts; wrote the papers that changed physics as a patent clerk.
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Albert Einstein's background is described as Ashkenazi Jewish; German-born, later Swiss and US citizen. Growing up, the family was middle class — father ran an electrical-equipment company that failed in the mid-1890s; the family moved to Italy for work. Turned down for academic posts; wrote the papers that changed physics as a patent clerk.
- Born
- 1879 · Ulm, Germany
- Roots
- Ashkenazi Jewish; German-born, later Swiss and US citizen
- Family
- Middle class
- Father ran an electrical-equipment company that failed in the mid-1890s; the family moved to Italy for work.
- Education
- ETH Zurich (physics and mathematics teaching diploma)
- Started with
- A compass
- The pocket compass his father showed him at five — by his account, his first encounter with invisible forces. The Bern patent office later paid the bills.
- Affiliations & societies
- Olympia AcademyDocumented
- Co-founded the informal Bern reading-and-debate circle with two friends in 1902.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1895 · age 16Fails the ETH entrance exam
Passes the mathematics and science sections but fails the general part; admitted a year later.
- 1902 · age 23Patent office in Bern
Hired as a third-class examiner after two years without an academic job.
- 1905 · age 26Annus mirabilis
Publishes four papers — the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and E=mc² — while still at the patent office.
- 1909 · age 30First professorship
University of Zurich, four years after the papers.
- 1915 · age 36General relativity
- 1919 · age 40Eclipse confirmation
Eddington's expedition verifies light bending; he becomes world-famous almost overnight.
- 1921 · age 42Nobel Prize in Physics
For the photoelectric effect, not relativity.
- 1933 · age 54Leaves Germany permanently
Emigrates to the US as the Nazis take power; joins the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Albert Einstein from?
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Their background is described as Ashkenazi Jewish; German-born, later Swiss and US citizen.
When was Albert Einstein born?
Albert Einstein was born in 1879, in Ulm, Germany.
What is Albert Einstein's background or ethnicity?
Albert Einstein's roots are described as Ashkenazi Jewish; German-born, later Swiss and US citizen. These are broad categories drawn from public sources, not statements about how the person identifies.
Where did Albert Einstein go to school?
Albert Einstein's education: ETH Zurich (physics and mathematics teaching diploma).
What was Albert Einstein's family background growing up?
At birth the family was middle class. Father ran an electrical-equipment company that failed in the mid-1890s; the family moved to Italy for work.
How did Albert Einstein get started?
Albert Einstein started with a compass. The pocket compass his father showed him at five — by his account, his first encounter with invisible forces. The Bern patent office later paid the bills.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.