Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a theoretical physicist, philosopher and author who is widely regarded as one of the most influential and best known scientists and intellectuals of all time. He is often regarded as the father of modern physics. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."
His many contributions to physics include the special and general theories of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the first post-Newtonian expansion, the explanation of the perihelion precession of Mercury, the prediction of the deflection of light by gravity (gravitational lensing), the first fluctuation dissipation theorem which explained the Brownian motion of molecules, the photon theory and the wave-particle duality, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, the zero-point energy concept, the semi-classical version of the Schrödinger equation, and the quantum theory of a monatomic gas which predicted Bose–Einstein condensation.
Einstein published more than 300 scientific and over 150 non-scientific works; he additionally wrote and commentated prolifically on various philosophical and political subjects. His great intelligence and originality has made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.
| Born | 14 March 1879 - Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire |
| Died | 18 April 1955 (aged 76) - Princeton, New Jersey, USA |
| Resting place | Grounds of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. |
| Residence | Germany, Italy, Switzerland, USA |
| Ethnicity | German Jewish |
| Citizenship | |
| Known for | General relativity, Special relativity, Photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, Mass-energy, equivalence, Einstein field equations, Unified Field Theory, Bose–Einstein statistics. |
| Spouse(s) | Mileva Marić (1903–1919) Elsa Löwenthal, née Einstein, (1919–1936) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physics (1921), Copley Medal (1925), Max Planck Medal (1929), Time Person of the Century. |
