"Without deep reflection one knows from daily life
that one exists for other people."

              - Albert Einstein

    Since the beginning of our time, man has been on a perpetual mission of improvement and refinement. Charles Darwin explained that when given enough time, a successful species of plant or animal will breed itself into a higher state of being, simply by passing along valuable skills and traits at a genetic level. The result of this behavior is a slightly smarter, slightly more proficient being, capable of accomplishing more than any of it�s grandparents could have dreamed. This is evident when we watch a baby sea turtle hatch out of its egg on the beach, and immediately head toward the ocean. Such an improvement however, may not be apparent when examined within a span of 10 or even 100 generations. Usually, the more significant the advance, the longer it takes to make it. That was not the case with Albert Einstein and the advances that he inspired. Einstein brought many dramatic improvements and caused an enormous amount growth within only a few generations. His life made an eno rmous impact, not only on the scientific community, but for all people around the world.

    The life of Albert Einstein began in Ulm, Germany where he was born on March 14, 1879. His family lived there only a short while before moving to Munich, where his parents attempted to make a living manufacturing electric machinery. During the first few years of his life, Albert did not appear to be more advanced than other children his age, in fact, he didn�t begin speaking until the age of three. It wasn�t until later in his childhood that he began to show a brilliant curiosity about nature, and an ability to understand difficult mathematical concepts, teaching himself Euclidean geometry at the age of 12. Einstein�s academic career was not as direct as most people would think. Because of his unique perspective on life and the world, he saw things in a way that other people could not always understand. His elementary school teachers claimed he was retarded, as he would often offer rather bizarre solutions to a problem. After his parents� business failed he realized that he wo uld have to make his own way in the world, so he finished secondary school in Arrau, Switzerland, and entered the Swiss National Polytechnic in Zurich. Einstein did not like the methods of instruction there. He would often cut classes, using the time to study physics on his own or to play his beloved violin. By studying the notes of his classmate, he graduated by 1900, to the great displeasure of his professors. When he approached them for a position at the university, they declined. Following his post-secondary education, Einstein went on to tutor, occasionally teaching as a substitute for two years before he secured a job as an examiner at the Swiss patent office in Bern.

    Though his position at the patent office demanded much of his time, he managed to produce an extraordinary amount work in the field that he truly enjoyed, including five major research papers published in an important German physics journal. These papers discussed many topics including Brownian Motion, the quantum nature of light, the Photoelectric effect, and of course his famous theories of relativity in which he initially stated the mass-energy equivalence in the form of E = mc². His theories of relativity invoked much skepticism and public attention. They showed that time and motion are relative to the observer if the speed of light is constant and the natural laws are the same everywhere in the universe. This was indeed difficult to accept in his era. All previous scientific knowledge suggested a false notion of absolute position and time. Those who did accept his ideas were astounded by the enormous potential of their utility.

    In 1939 Einstein collaborated with several other physicists in writing a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, indicating the possibility of creating a weapon of mass destruction, far greater than the world had ever known. In this letter, Einstein warned that the German government had probably begun production of their nuclear arsenal. This letter reinforced the sense of urgency in the U.S. to create the bomb first, and encouraged attention and funding toward the Manhattan Project.

    While the initial use of nuclear energy was primarily destructive, it was eventually harnessed as source of energy for countless thousands of people around the world. Many more of Einstein�s ideas were also found to have practical applications, one of which won him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921. Einstein�s papers, on the photoelectric effect, contained a revolutionary hypothesis concerning the nature of light. Einstein suggested that light could be considered as particles called photons, and that the energy carried by a photon was proportional to the frequency of radiation. The idea that energy within a beam of light was transferred in individual packets of energy (called quanta) contradicted a century-old tradition of considering light energy as a manifestation of continuous processes.

    The development of these few ideas presented by Einstein has opened up a world of possibilities for people everywhere. His theories of relativity help astronomers, astronauts, and fellow physicists understand the universe around them, and the mass-energy equivalence, because of the enormous potential suggested, was the foundation for research in nuclear chain-reactions. Einstein�s theories presented in his works on the photoelectric effect also extend into many practical fields. The quantum nature of light is exploited in television sets, and electronic equipment such as computers. His photoelectric effect led to the development of solar panels, for converting solar energy into electrical energy, and photosensors used in various devices for sensing changes in luminance, and motion. It is clear that few people have made such a dramatic impact on so many, in such a short amount of time. Einstein seemed to have a special gift, which was not only unto himself, but unto the entire w orld. Einstein, about himself said, "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." It is this ideal that more people should share in the world today, and it is this quality that made Albert Einstein such an extraordinary human being. Though not all of Einstein�s contributions were strictly positive, the mean of his influence on the world has had an elevating effect, the likes of which we may never see again.

Excerpts from Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia