Albert Einstein

Born in Germany on March 14th, 1879, Albert Einstein discovered the theory of special relativity, then the theory of general relativity, thus changing the face of physics forever. While working in a patent office, he overturned Newtonian physics and became the father of modern physics. He discovered, through general relativity, that space and time communicate gravity through curvature: the first time anyone proved that space was curved, not flat and static. His famous formula, E=mc squared, examined and explained the relationship between mass and energy. He received the 1922 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of the Photoelectric effect, and made many other major contributions to modern physics. Much of string theory is based on his original ideas, though the conflict between general relativity and quantum mechanics persisted for many years. Einstein also predicted the expansion of the universe, though this idea was so radical that he...