Albert Einstein: A Radical Genius

Albert Einstein once said, "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." When discussing Einstein, it is important to realize the struggle he dealt with in terms of having his scientific revelations accepted by others in the field of physics. Einstein's ideas were so remarkably revolutionary that many did not understand the theories being presented. His brilliance remains extremely relevant in the present day. For example, today the word "Einstein" is synonymous with genius. Einstein is influential for his contributions to physics, winning the Nobel Prize, and using his fame to further his social and political views.

Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Although his parents first believed he possessed a learning disability (due to the fact that he did not speak until the age of 3), he showed an outstanding interest towards nature and retained the ability to understand complex mathematical ideas in his youth. At this time, his family moved to Munich, Bavaria and opened a small shop that made electric machinery. By the age of 12, he successfully taught himself Euclidean geometry.

Despite the fact that Einstein gained a distaste for the mundaneness of schooling offered in Munich, he enjoyed learning. When he was 15 years old, his family was forced to move to Milan, Italy because of business failure, and Einstein decided to drop out of school. Even from a young age, he was brilliant; however, he refused to apply himself in the classroom. As a college student, he often cut class to study physics on his own free time or play his violin. Because of his unwillingness to put effort in ...

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