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Renowned physicist Albert Einstein is widely recognized as one of the most prominent people in the world. Albert Einstein made an unparalleled contribution to physics and humanity in general. But not every part of his life is as well-known as his persona.
Born in Germany on the 14th of March 1879, the Nobel Laureate was a theoretical physics scientist. Known for his work on relativity, he was ahead of his time at every step of the way. He clearly viewed his goals and worked towards achieving them with certainty.
However, unlike his pathbreaking work, not everything is known about him with conclusiveness. As reported by National Geographic, here are 10 things that you never knew about the genius physicist.
10 facts about Albert Einstein's adult life
1) Einstein renounced his German citizenship when he was 16
Einstein preferred to be a "citizen of the world." From a young age, he despised nationalism of any kind, and by rennouncing his citizenship, he became stateless until he became a Swiss citizen in 1901.
2) He married a student in his class
Albert Einstein found love in Mileva Marić while studying at Zurich Polytechnic. She was the only female student in his class and a physicist in her own right. However, her aspirations ended when she engaged Einstein and had children.
3) Einstein had a 1,427-page FBI file
Documents focusing on his life and work, a 1,427-page file was kept on Albert Einstein by the FBI. The file was opened after his third visit to the US in 1933. J. Edgar Hoover suggested that Einstein be kept out of America because of his association with pacifist groups. But that proposal never came into effect.
4) He had an illegitimate baby
Not a fact known by most people, Albert Einstein had an illegitimate baby with Mileva Marić before they got married. Mileva's marriage to Einstein was delayed as his parents did not accept Mileva's traditional upbringing.
However, she soon became pregnant and gave birth to a girl named Lieserl Einstein in 1902. Unfortunately, the baby is assumed to have been put up for adoption or died after contracting scarlet fever.
5) He paid Mileva all his prize money from winning a Nobel
The physicist offered all the prize money, amounting to $32,250, to his first wife, Mileva Marić. This was done so that she would grant him a divorce. The prize money amounted to ten times a professor's salary at the time.
6) Einstein married his first cousin
Elsa, the daughter of Albert's mother's sister, was Albert Einstein's second wife. She was also his second cousin, as Albert's father and Elsa's father were cousins. Elsa's maiden name was also Einstein.
7) He was a civil rights activist
When W.E.B. Du Bois was indicted as an unregistered agent for a foreign power, Albert Einstein offered to testify as his judge of character. The court dropped the charges after hearing Einstein's offer. A radical supporter of free speech, Einstein maintained his stance of unwavering endorsement till the last day.
8) Einstein's son was institutionalized for the majority of his life
Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Albert Einstein's second son, Eduard, spent most of his adult days in a psychiatric facility. Eduard was an admirer of Freud and maintained a great interest in psychoanalysis. Eduard never met his father after 1933, although they kept in touch through letters.
9) He had a rocky friendship with Fritz Haber
The father of chemical warfare, Fritz Haber helped recruit Einstein to Berlin. They remained close friends although their opinions differed on certain topics. Fritz Haber developed the deadly chlorine gas which was used to asphyxiate soldiers in the trenches, an innovation that earned him the nickname.
10) He had an affair with a Russian spy
Margarita Konenkova and Einstein became lovers after being introduced in 1935 by his stepdaughter. According to a book about Russian spies, Margarita Konenkova was most likely a spy. In 1998, letters between Einstein and Margarita were auctioned, bringing to light the affair.
These facts about Albert Einstein, the genius physicist, give us a new perspective into the life of one of the most celebrated scientists in history. To discover more about the physics scientist, check out Netflix's docudrama Einstein and the Bomb.
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