This article was originally published on July 12, 2022.
Albert Einstein is considered by many to be one of the the greatest scientists of all time. Mostly known for his theories on special and general relativity, his pioneering work led to groundbreaking theories of mass, motion, time, and space. In 1921 his discovery of photoelectric effect won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
What are some interesting facts about Albert Einstein?
Although fascinating, Einstein’s work is not the only thing that is interesting about him. Here are five facts about Einstein you may not have known.
Read more: 20 brilliant quotes from Albert Einstein, the theoretical physicist who became world famous
1. A syndrome is named after him
You may have heard that Einstein didn’t start talking until the age of five. Previously, he was unable to speak in complete sentences, which caused concern for his family. However, there was no need to worry as his late onset of language skills didn’t hold him back. In his early teenage years, he spoke several languages, studied philosophy, and played the violin and piano.
The characteristics displayed by Einstein are not unusual among children who speak late. This led economist Thomas Sowell to coin the phrase “Einstein syndrome” to describe children with delayed speech (not due to autism). Common traits include being strong-willed, analytical thinkers, and excelling in other areas.
2. Challenging career beginnings
After graduating from the Zurich Polytechnic in 1900, Einstein tried unsuccessfully to obtain a position as a professor. At that time he was not considered particularly brilliant and had not yet done anything extraordinary. According to the book, Einstein: His Life and Universeit took Einstein nine years after graduation to finally receive an offer as a junior professor.
At the time, he worked as a patent clerk while working on his doctoral dissertation and receiving his Ph.D. in 1905. That same year he also published his theory of mass-energy equivalence (E-MC2). Without perseverance, Einstein would not be the universally recognizable scientist who changed the world of physics.
3. A better scientist than a husband
Einstein’s first wife was his fellow physics student—the only woman in the prestigious university program. He and Mileva Maric bonded over their interest in physics and soon fell in love. Mileva made important contributions to Einstein’s work, but she was never given any recognition or credit.
Einstein eventually grew tired of Mileva and began a romantic relationship with her his cousin Elsa. After the divorce, he and Elsa get married. She was supportive and a faithful companion to her husband—managing his life and schedule and caring for him when he was in ill health. But he was unfaithful in that marriage as well and had several affairs. It was later revealed that Einstein had feelings for Elsa’s daughter from a previous marriage, Ilse. And he was actually considering breaking off his engagement to Elsa to propose to Ilse – who was 20 at the time.
4. The FBI tracked him down
Among other interesting facts about Albert Einstein, The FBI tracked down Einstein for more than two decades, amassing a file more than 1,400 pages long. J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI at the time, was suspicious of Einstein and considered him a radical and possibly subversive or communist. He was outspoken on social issues such as racism, democratic rights, inequality and civil liberties.
When he publicly spoke out against the hydrogen bomb, Hoover became more convinced than ever that Einstein should be fully investigated. The FBI’s file on Einstein was not closed until 1955, when he died. You can read some of the FBI’s Einstein notes and reports here.
5. His brain was stolen and studied
Einstein died at Princeton Hospital, where he taught, at the age of 76. The Princeton pathologist immediately Thomas Harvey removed Einstein’s brain and the eyes. He conducts research on the brain and created 240 slides of collected samples. For 40 years, Harvey kept saying he was close to publishing his research. But he never published any findings.
His unauthorized work on Einstein’s brain caused him to lose his job and lead to the end of his marriage. Years later, he ended up losing his medical license due to unrelated matters. From the late 1980s, scientists began to publish discoveries about Einstein’s brain. His parietal lobes (used in visual, spatial and mathematical cognition) were 15 percent larger than normal—and he had more glial cells relative to neurons than average. However, his brain weighed 2.7 pounds, less than the average of three pounds.