1March 879 165438+ At 0: 30 in the morning, Einstein was born at 135, Ulmbanhof Street, Germany. Both parents are Jewish. My father's name is Herman Einstein and my mother is Pauline.
188 1 year1month 18. Einstein's sister Maya was born in Munich.
1884, Einstein fell in love with the pocket compass.
From 65438 to 0885, Einstein began to learn the violin.
1886, Einstein studied in the parliamentary school in Munich. Studying Jewish canon at home.
From 65438 to 0888, Einstein entered Louis Polder High School. Continue to receive religious education at school and accept the rite of passage. Friedman is the instructor.
From 65438 to 0889, he read popular science books and philosophical works under the guidance of medical college student Talme.
189 1 year, I taught myself Euclidean geometry, and I was crazy about it. At the same time, I began to teach myself advanced mathematics.
1892, I started reading Emanuel Kant's works. 1895, taught himself calculus.
1896, graduated from Arau Middle School. In June, 5438+00, he entered Zurich Normal University of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology to study physics. [Name] Albert Einstein (Jewish theoretical physicist)
189910 June 19, Einstein formally applied for Swiss citizenship.
1900 In August, Einstein graduated from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland; In February, 65438, he completed his thesis "Inference of Capillary Phenomenon", which was published in the Journal of Physics in Leipzig the following year and incorporated into Swiss nationality.
1901March 2 1 day, and obtained Swiss nationality. From May to July this year, I finished my thesis on the thermodynamic theory of potential difference.
1September, 904, the trainee of the patent office turned into a formal third-class technician.
1March, 905, the quantum theory was developed, the light quantum hypothesis was put forward, and the photoelectric effect problem was solved. In April, he submitted his paper "A New Method for Determining Molecular Size" to the University of Zurich, and received his doctorate. In May, he finished the paper "On Electrodynamics of Moving Objects", and put forward the principle of special relativity independently and completely, which initiated a new era of physics.
1906 was promoted to the second-class technician of the patent office in April. 165438+ 10, the paper on specific heat of solids was completed, which is the first paper on solid quantum theory. 1908 10 is a part-time lecturer at the University of Bern.
1909 10, left the Berne patent office and became an associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich. [Name] Albert Einstein (Jewish theoretical physicist)
19 10 10, and finished the paper on critical opalescence.
19 12 put forward the photochemical equivalence law.
19 13 returned to Germany, served as the director of the Institute of Physics of Emperor William in Berlin, a professor at the University of Berlin, and was elected as an academician of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
1965438+In April 2004, Einstein accepted the invitation of the German scientific community and moved to Berlin.
World War I broke out in August. Although he lived in the birthplace of war and was surrounded by war advocates, he firmly showed his anti-war attitude.
In September, Einstein participated in launching the anti-war group "New Motherland Alliance". Although the organization was declared illegal and a large number of its members were arrested and persecuted and went underground, Einstein resolutely participated in the secret activities of the organization.
On June+10, 5438, under the manipulation and instigation of militarists, the German scientific and cultural circles published the Declaration of Civilized World, defending the war of aggression launched by Germany, arguing that Germany is above all else and the whole world should accept the "true German spirit". Ninety-three people signed the declaration, all of whom were prestigious scientists, artists and priests in Germany at that time. Even Nernst, Roentgen, ostwald and Planck signed it. When asked for Einstein's autograph, he flatly refused, but at the same time resolutely signed his name on the anti-war letter to Europeans. This move shocked the whole world.
191511month, and put forward the complete form of the general relativity gravity equation, which successfully explained the motion of Mercury's perihelion. [Name] Albert Einstein (Jewish theoretical physicist)
19 16 In March, I finished my summary paper "The Basis of General Relativity". In May, the hypothesis that the universe is finite and unbounded was put forward. In August, he completed the quantum theory of radiation, summarized the development of quantum theory and put forward the theory of stimulated radiation.
19 17, after the victory of the Soviet socialist revolution led by Lenin, Einstein enthusiastically supported this great revolution, praised it as a great social experiment of decisive significance to the whole world, and said: "I respect Lenin because he is a man with complete self-sacrifice spirit and devoted himself wholeheartedly to realizing social justice. I don't think his method is practical, but one thing is certain: people like him are defenders and reconstructors of human conscience. "
19181kloc-0/October, German workers and soldiers, influenced and inspired by the victory of the October Revolution in Russia, launched an uprising and overthrew the German emperor William II. On the third day after stepping down, Einstein wrote two postcards to his mother, cheering "a great event happened ... what an honor to experience it personally!" " From the 1920s to the early 1930s, Einstein was basically an absolute pacifist. However, the fact that wars of aggression and plunder are constantly happening has broken his beautiful dream. Especially after Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany became increasingly fascist, which made Einstein realize that a new barbaric war was inevitable and prompted him to change his point of view. He made it clear: "When the law and human dignity must be defended, we must fight. Since the danger of fascism came, I no longer believe that absolute negative pacifism is effective. As long as fascism rules Europe, there will be no peace. " Because of Einstein's progressive activities and because he was a Jew, he was listed as an important persecution object by the German Nazis. Fortunately, he left Germany to give lectures in the United States at the end of 1932 and was not killed. His house in Berlin was raided and destroyed, his property was confiscated and his works were burned. The Nazis offered a reward of 20,000 marks to kill him. Faced with the danger of Nazi assassination, Einstein did not have the slightest fear, but fought more resolutely. When his close friend Laue wrote to persuade him to take a wise attitude on political issues, he ignored his personal safety and shouted, pointing out that fascism means war, and peace must be defended by armed forces, calling on the American people to rise up against fascism. Einstein was very sad when he later learned on the radio that the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing many civilian casualties. Later, he wrote a letter to American citizens, in which he said: "We scientists who liberated this great power should give priority to taking responsibility for everything, and must limit that atomic energy should never be used to kill all mankind, but should be used to enhance human happiness."
19 19 Einstein's theory is considered as "one of the greatest achievements in the history of human thought". In February, 65438, he received the only honorary degree in Germany: the doctorate of medicine from the University of Rostock.
1921From April 2 to May 30, Weizmann and I visited the United States for the first time to raise funds for the establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem.
1922 1 month, finish the first paper on unified field theory. In July, he was threatened with murder and temporarily left Berlin. On October 8th, 65438/KLOC-0, Einstein and Elsa went to Japan by boat in Marseille. Visit Colombo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai along the way. 1October 9th, 165438+ Einstein was awarded the "Nobel Prize in Physics" for his explanation of photoelectric effect. 165438+1October17-65438+February 29th, I have been to Japan.
1923 In July, he went to Gothenburg to receive the Nobel Prize of 192 1. In February 65438, it was first speculated that the quantum effect might come from the overconstrained field equation of general relativity.
1924, Bose-Einstein condensation was discovered.
After 1925, Einstein went all out to explore the unified field theory In the first few years, he was optimistic that victory was in sight; Later, he found many difficulties, and he thought that the existing mathematical tools were not enough.
During the 30 years from 1925 to 1955, except for the completeness of quantum mechanics, gravitational waves and general relativity, Einstein devoted almost all his scientific creative energy to the exploration of unified field theory.
1926 was elected as an academician of the Soviet academy of sciences.
Exploration of 1928 to pure mathematics. He tried various methods, but he didn't get any results with real physical significance.
In June 5438+10, he was elected as the director of "German Human Rights League" (formerly known as "New Motherland League" in Germany).
1929 March, 50th birthday, hiding in the suburbs to avoid birthday celebrations. On June 28th, he won the Planck Medal.
1930,65438+February, 1 1 to 193 1, Einstein visited the United States for the second time and gave lectures at California Institute of Technology.
1932 Corresponded with Freud in July to discuss the psychological problems of war; Call on the German people to stand up and defend the Weimar Republic and oppose fascism with all their strength.
193365438+1October 30th, the Nazis came to power.
On March 10, I made a statement in Pasadena that I would not return to Germany and set off for Europe the next day.
On March 20th, the Nazis searched his house, and he protested. After that, his property in Germany was confiscated and his works were burned.
1935 In May, he formally applied for permanent residency in the United States in Bermuda. That year, in order to get the Nobel Prize (Peace Prize) awarded to Ausier Tsky, who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, he ran around.
/kloc-0 supported China's "Seven Gentlemen" in March, 937.
1937, with the cooperation of two assistants, he deduced the equation of motion from the gravitational field equation of general relativity, further revealing the unity of time and space, matter and motion, which was a major development of general relativity and the last major achievement Einstein made in scientific creation activities. He never succeeded in the unified field theory. He never gets discouraged and always starts from scratch with confidence. Because he was far away from the mainstream of physics research at that time, he went alone to overcome the problems that could not be solved at that time. So contrary to the situation in the 1920s, he was very isolated in physics in his later years. However, he is still fearless and unswervingly follows his own path. Until the day before his death, he was still in his hospital bed preparing to continue his mathematical calculation of the unified field theory. Einstein loved science as well as human beings. He didn't isolate himself from society because he was immersed in scientific research. He always cared about human civilization and progress and fought bravely for it. He said, "One can only find the meaning of a short and risky life if he devotes himself to society", and he did it himself.
1September, 938, he wrote a letter to future generations after 5,000 years, expressing his dissatisfaction with the present situation of capitalist society.
1On August 2, 939, he wrote to President Roosevelt, suggesting that the United States should pay close attention to atomic energy research and prevent Germany from mastering the atomic bomb first.
1940 telephoned Roosevelt on May 22 to oppose the neutral policy of the United States.
65438+1 October1obtained American citizenship.
May 1943, joined the work of the United States Admiralty as a scientific consultant.
1944, in order to support the anti-fascist war, he auctioned 1905 manuscript of special relativity for 6 million dollars.
From 65438 to 0947, he continued to make a lot of remarks about the world government.
1949, 1 month, he wrote Critical Answers to criticize the criticism of Copenhagen School in the collection Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist.
1950 February 13, he made a televised speech against the United States making hydrogen bombs. Signed and sealed the will on March 65438, 2008.
195 1 year, he published articles and letters in succession, pointing out that the US policy of expanding its army and preparing for war is a serious obstacle to world peace.
1 95211October,1After the death of Israeli President weismann, the Israeli government asked him to be the second president, but he was rejected.
1March, 954, was denounced as "the enemy of America" by US Senator McCarthy.
From 65438 to 0955, Einstein and Russell jointly published the Russell-Einstein Declaration, which opposed nuclear war and called for world peace.
1955 April 18 1: 25, he died in the hospital. After a long and difficult exploration of general relativity, Einstein was still not satisfied, so he wanted to extend general relativity to include not only gravitational field, but also electromagnetic field. He believes that this is the third stage of the development of relativity, namely the unified field theory.
anecdote
■ Mr. Weber's eyes
At the age of sixteen, Einstein applied for the engineering department of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, but failed in the entrance examination. Mr. Weber, a physicist, read his papers on mathematics and physics. He was very discerning and praised him: "You are a very clever boy, Einstein, a very clever boy, but you have a big shortcoming: you don't want to show yourself."
Mr Webber is right. Einstein is a "genius" in mathematics. He taught himself analytic geometry and calculus at the age of 12 to 16. He is also "unrepentant" for not wanting to show his "shortcomings". In his letter to friends in his later years, he said: "When I was young, my needs and expectations for life were that I could do research quietly in a corner, and the public would not pay full attention to me, but now I can't."
■ The secret of success
An American journalist once asked Einstein the secret of his success. He replied: "As early as 190 1, when I was a 22-year-old young man, I had discovered the formula of success. I can tell you the secret of this formula, that is, A=X+Y+Z! A is success, X is hard work, Y is knowing how to rest, and Z is talking less nonsense! This formula is useful to me and I think it is also useful to many people. "
■ Refuse to be the second president of Israel.
1948 14 In May, the State of Israel was born, but soon war broke out between Israel and neighboring Arab countries. Einstein, who has lived in the United States for more than ten years, immediately declared to the media: "Now, the Israelis can't retreat any more. We should fight. Jews can only survive in a world hostile to them if they rely on themselves. " 1952165438+1On October 9th, Weizmann, an old friend of Einstein and the first president of Israel, passed away. The day before, the Israeli ambassador to the United States handed Einstein a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion, formally asking Einstein to become the Israeli presidential candidate. That evening, a reporter called Einstein's residence and asked Einstein, "I heard that you will be appointed as the president of Israel, professor." Will you accept it? " "No, I can't be president." "The President doesn't have many specific affairs, and his position is symbolic. Professor, you are the greatest Jew. No, no, you are the greatest person in the world. If you are the president of Israel and symbolize the greatness of the Jewish nation, that would be great. " "No, I can't." Hardly had Einstein put down the phone when it rang again. This time it's the Israeli ambassador to Washington. The ambassador said, "Professor, Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion instructed me. Will you accept my nomination as a presidential candidate? " "Mr. Ambassador, I know a little about nature and know almost nothing about people. How can a man like me be president? Please explain to the press and give me a hand. " The ambassador further persuaded: "Professor, the late President Weizmann was also a professor. You can do it. " "Weizmann and I are different. He can do it, I can't. " "Professor, every Israeli citizen and every Jew in the world is waiting for you!" Einstein was really moved by the kindness of his compatriots, but he was more concerned with how to politely refuse the ambassador and the Israeli government without letting them down or embarrassed. Soon, Einstein issued a statement in the newspaper, formally refusing to be the president of Israel. In Einstein's view, "being president is not an easy task." At the same time, he quoted himself again: "Equation is more important to me, because politics is present, but equation is eternal."
■ How did Einstein approach China?
As early as 19 19, Einstein's theory of relativity began to spread to China, especially in 1920, when the British philosopher Russell came to China to give lectures, which left a deep impression on the academic circles in China. Einstein's own eyes again and again projected to the ancient and unfamiliar China. /kloc-in the winter of 0/922, he was invited to give lectures in Japan. On his way back and forth, he passed through Shanghai twice and stayed for three days. He saw China in distress with his own eyes and expressed deep sympathy. In his travel diary, he wrote down the "tragic picture" and his feelings: "Externally, China people are famous for their hard work and their low requirements for lifestyle and children's welfare. They are more optimistic and naive than Indians. But most of them have a heavy burden: men and women knock stones every day for five cents a day. They seem too slow to understand their terrible fate. " "Einstein saw this labor, groaning and tenacious nation, and his social sympathy was awakened again. He thinks this is the poorest country on earth. They were brutally abused and treated worse than cattle and horses. " (Collected Works of Einstein, edited by Xu, Commercial Press, 1979, pages 20 and 2 1) More than ten years later (1936), Einstein said in his first individual conversation with Zhou Peiyuan who came to Princeton University in the United States: "The people of China are suffering people." His sympathy is sincere and heartfelt, not in words, but in action. 1931117 Einstein publicly condemned Japan's aggression against the three northeastern provinces and called on all countries to unite to impose economic sanctions on Japan. Unfortunately, the response was empty. 1932 10, "Commander-in-Chief of the May 4th Movement" (in Mao Zedong) and Chen Duxiu, founder of China's * * * production party (who was expelled from the party at that time), were arrested in Shanghai. He and Russell, Dewey and other internationally renowned intellectuals jointly called Chiang Kai-shek to demand his release. 1in March, 937, after Shen Junru, Zhang Naiqi, Wang Zaoshi, Shi Liang and other "seven gentlemen" who advocated anti-Japanese were imprisoned, they joined forces with Dewey, Meng Lu and other famous intellectuals to rescue them by electricity, exerting moral pressure on the Kuomintang authorities. 1In June, 938, in order to help War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in China, he and the eldest son of President Roosevelt launched the "China Aid Committee" and launched fundraising activities for China aid in 2,000 towns in the United States. Einstein is a true citizen of the world, and his love has no national boundaries. His feelings for China are not utilitarian, but are entirely based on human sympathy and strong humanitarian feelings. His thoughts also had a profound influence on China. Shortly after the September 18th Incident, Xu, a teenager who was still in Grade Two, was an ardent admirer of him, hoping to become a scientist like him when he grew up. 1934, Einstein's collection My World View was published in Europe. A few years later (1937 on the eve of the Anti-Japanese War), it was translated by Ye Yunli, a physics professor studying in France, according to the French translation. Because of the national disaster, this book didn't arouse much response, but young Xu was lucky enough to buy a copy before 1938 went to college. He began to seriously think about the meaning of life and the relationship between people and the country. Einstein's many words of wisdom made him unforgettable all his life, and Einstein's image has always played an important role in his later life. 1955, after Einstein's death, Xu and Zhou Peiyuan both published mourning articles. Unfortunately, in the eight years from 1968 to 1976, Einstein became "the biggest reactionary bourgeois academic authority in the field of natural science since this century" in China, and the Gang of Four set off an absurd movement to criticize Einstein. Fortunately, most scientists ignore it and actually resist it.
■ An informal master
Once, he wanted to replace an old painting on the wall, so he moved a ladder and climbed it step by step. Suddenly, he thought of another question, pondered it, forgot what he was doing and suddenly fell off the ladder. After falling to the ground, he ignored the pain and immediately thought: Why do people fall straight? It seems that objects always move along the path of least resistance. Thinking of this, Einstein immediately stood up, limped to the table, picked up a pen and wrote down his thoughts. This is a great inspiration to the problem he is studying-relativity.