Einstein, Albert 
1879 - 1955. 
German-born US physicist. 

Einstein formulated the theories of relativity, and worked on radiation physics and thermodynamics. In 1905 he published the special theory of relativity, and in 1915 issued his general theory of relativity. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics 1921. His last conception of the basic laws governing the universe was outlined in his unified field theory, made public 1953. The theories of relativity revolutionized our understanding of matter, space, and time. Einstein also established that light may have a particle nature and deduced 1905 the photoelectric law that governs the production of electricity from light-sensitive metals. He investigated Brownian movement, also 1905, and was able to explain it so that it not only confirmed the existence of atoms but could be used to determine their dimensions. He also proposed the equivalence of mass and energy, which enabled physicists to deepen their understanding of the nature of the atom, and explained radioactivity and other nuclear processes. Einstein was born in Ulm, Wuerttemberg, and lived in Munich and Italy before settling in Switzerland. Disapproving of German militarism, he became a Swiss citizen and was appointed an inspector of patents in Berne. In his spare time, he took his PhD at Zuerich. In 1909 he became a lecturer in theoretical physics at the university. After holding a similar post at Prague 1911, he returned to teach at Zuerich 1912. In 1913 he took up a specially created post as director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, Berlin. Confirmation of the general theory of relativity by the solar eclipse of 1919 made Einstein world famous. Deprived of his position at Berlin by the Nazis, he emigrated to the USA 1933 and became professor of mathematics and a permanent member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. In 1939, Einstein drew the attention of the president of the USA to the possibility that Germany might be developing the atomic bomb. This prompted US efforts to produce the bomb, though Einstein did not take part in them. After World War II he was actively involved in the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. In 1952, the state of Israel paid him the highest honour it could by offering him the presidency, which he declined.