Albert Einstein

Einstein working on one of his many theorems.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new” (Albert Einstein). Albert Einstein was a very intelligent, successful and inspirational man. In my mind he is a hero for more than just on reason. The things that really amazed me about him and the main reasons why I think he is my hero are that he is an inspiration to all ages, he tried his hardest all day and everyday and his imagination was infinite. He truly is a hero and not just for his work; also for his ability to stay focused and achieve amazing feats.

Einstein performing his famous tongue move.

Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1874. Before he had his first birthday, he and his family had moved to Munich, Germany where his father, Hermann Einstein, and uncle set up a small electro-chemical business. As a child, Einstein’s sense of curiosity was very high. A favorite toy of his was his father’s compass, and he often played with it. As a kid he was a slow learner and didn’t have good German until he was about 10. At home instead of first studying math and science, he would often seek help from the bible. After being expelled from school Einstein moved to Switzerland where he continued his education. At sixteen he tried to enroll at the Federal Institute of Technology but failed the entrance exam. This forced him to study locally for one year until he finally passed the school’s evaluation. In 1903 he married Mileva Meric, a mathematician friend. He is most well known for his Special Theory of Relativity, which had to do with motion and the speed of light. Perhaps the most important part of his discoveries was the equation: E=mc2. In 1908 he went to work at a university and after being promoted to a professor, Einstein and his family were able to enjoy a good life. At the university was a library were Einstein spent most of his time try to make his E=mc2 and talked to leading scientists about it. World War I strongly affected Einstein. All of Germany wanted the army to go to war but Einstein didn’t like the idea and decided to join a political party. This party wanted to bring peace back but was forbidden by the government. Einstein, who was seen as a traitor at this point, released his idea of the General Theory of Relativity. When the war finished he had many problems including: he divorced his wife and quickly became the target of prejudice. There were many rumors about groups who were trying to kill Einstein. The biggest change, though, was in 1919 when scientist, who studied an eclipse, confirmed that his theories were correct. Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922. He decided to go to America and lecture people about his ideas. While in America the Nazi group formed. He never went back to Germany. World War 2 broke and Einstein had a lot on his mind.

Einstein hanging around his most famous theorem.

Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt warning him of the disaster that could occur if the Nazi’s developed the Atomic Bomb first. Einstein did not participate in the development of the bomb, but the idea of the bomb used the theorem E=mc2. He became very famous and because so many people knew about him, they would ask for advice. He sadly passed away on April 18, 1955. Although he didn’t finish that specific project he was working on he still completed many that people won’t forget. While promoting peace after the Second World War ended, many people begin to think of him as a hero. I think he is a hero because he inspires people. His work inspires other scientists to prove him wrong. A lot of kids look up to him because they want to do the same stuff he does. With his mind, he astonishes people and those people try to do the same thing. His imagination is also phenomenal because the fact that he has the mindset to come up with the ideas he has is amazing. Because he imagination is so widespread he created a lot of the theorems and rules we still use today. I think another reason he is a hero is because he tried his hardest every day. That is one thing I need to work on. He worked on every little experiment as though his life depended on it and sometimes his life did depend on it. That fact that he took his time on all his experiments meant when he had the right equipment, nothing went wrong.

Albert Einstein is a hero in most people’s books because of all the things he has done. He has attempted the impossible and succeeded. All Einstein wanted was peace and integrity. He tried his hardest to do what he loved and made new theorems that the world still uses today. "Imagination is more important than knowledge” (Albert Einstein). That quote is what drove Einstein and now drives me through the tough times. Albert Einstein is a hero and will always be a hero in my book.

Works Cited

"Albert Einstein - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/einstein-bio.html.

Bellis, Mary. "Albert Einstein Biography - The Life and Achievements of Albert Einstein." Inventors. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bleinstein.htm.

Harris, Kevin. "Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein." Stanford Residential Computing. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~cheshire/EinsteinQuotes.html.

Long, Doug. "Albert Einstein and the Atomic Bomb." Hiroshima: Was It Necessary? The Atomic Bombing of Japan. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. http://www.doug-long.com/einstein.htm. Rosenkranz, Ze'ev, and Orly Simon. "Einstein Archieves Online." Einstein Archives Online. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. .