FAYE MOSS: Hello again! I'm Faye Moss. Welcome to Superstars in History, the talk show that brings you exclusive interviews with famous people from the past. Today's guest was not only a famous scientist but also an advocate for peace and equality. Please welcome the genius who helped us understand the universe, Albert Einstein!
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Hello, Faye! I brought you an autographed photo.
FAYE MOSS: This picture is hilarious! Thank you! Were you always so funny?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: No, I don't think so. In fact, as a child I was rather quiet and serious. I was born in 1879 in the German town of Ulm and grew up in Munich.
At an early age, maybe four or five, my father showed me a compass. I was amazed by it and wondered why the needle always pointed in one direction. This began my interest in science. I was also very good in mathematics.
FAYE MOSS: I guess you enjoyed school!
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Then you guess wrong, Faye. I didn't enjoy school much at all. My family was Jewish, but most people in Munich were Catholic. I was bullied because I was different. I also didn't make a great impression on many of my teachers since I preferred to learn things my own way—and often knew more than my teachers!
When I was a teenager, my parents moved to Italy, and I stayed behind in Munich. I was supposed to finish my education, but I soon left Germany too.
FAYE MOSS: Where did you go?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: I joined my family in Italy and later finished my schooling in Switzerland. I also gave up my German citizenship to avoid being drafted into the military. I didn't do well with organized structure in school, so I certainly wouldn't have done well in the military!
Eventually I attended the Polytechnic School in Zurich. Once again I struggled with the strict authority of the school system—I skipped many classes—and once again I knew more than many of my teachers! But I loved learning and managed to graduate.
FAYE MOSS: What did you do after you finished school?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: I had planned to become a teacher, but that was not so easy. All those skipped classes earned me a reputation for being unreliable, so no one wanted to give me a teaching job. Eventually I found work as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland. My job was to review applications for inventions. It was an easy position that gave me plenty of spare time for my physics experiments.
FAYE MOSS: How were you able to do physics experiments at the patent office? Didn't you need a lab?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: My experiments were Gedankenexperimente—which means thought experiments—so I didn't need a lab! In my thought experiments, I thought of scientific ways to explain the things I observed. I came up with some of my best ideas at the patent office.
FAYE MOSS: You were working there in 1905 when you published some groundbreaking scientific papers.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Yes. That year has been called my annus mirabilis—my miracle year. I published four papers that introduced new ideas that changed the field of physics.
My third paper was on my theory of special relativity, which explains that the relationship between time and space is relative. The paper also introduced the idea that the speed of light is a constant. I expanded on the speed of light in my fourth paper, where I showed that matter and energy are different forms of the same thing. This is illustrated by my famous formula: E=mc². E stands for energy, m for mass, and c is the speed of light. And this—
FAYE MOSS: Whoa—my head is starting to hurt! Your theories are complicated, but they're certainly useful. Your work on space, time, and gravity changed our basic ideas about how the universe works. And, of course, those "miracle year" papers landed you a better job.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Yes, I finally got a teaching position at a university in Switzerland. I later moved around, teaching at other universities throughout Europe. Eventually I had a very distinguished professorship at the University of Berlin, but once again I left Germany.
In 1933, while my wife and I were visiting the United States, Hitler came to power in Germany. Jews were no longer allowed to teach. Our home was taken by the government, and a bounty was put on my head. We settled in the U.S., and I began to work at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University.
FAYE MOSS: In 1939 you drafted a letter to American president Franklin Roosevelt warning him that Germany was working on a nuclear weapon. You also urged the U.S. to develop one of its own. Why did you do that?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: I reasoned that if the U.S. also had a weapon, it might deter Germany from using theirs. Had I known Germany would not complete theirs, I might not have signed that letter. As a lifelong pacifist, I regretted my part. Signing the letter was the one great mistake of my life. After the war I worked to stop the building of nuclear weapons and promote peace.
I also helped raise money for Jewish causes and worked for racial equality in my new country. As a Jew, I felt I could understand how African American people felt when they were treated unfairly.
FAYE MOSS: That's so admirable. We're almost out of time, but before you go, can you tell us the story behind this picture?
ALBERT EINSTEIN: It was my 72nd birthday, and I had been smiling for photos for hours. I was beginning to feel more like a model than a scientist, and I'd had enough! I stuck out my tongue and quickly turned away, but the photographer was much quicker than I. The picture turned out well, yes? I bought copies and sent them to my friends.
FAYE MOSS: I'm glad you consider me a friend! And thank you so much for the interview. We'll let you get back to history now.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Good-bye!
FAYE MOSS: Throughout his life Albert Einstein earned awards and recognition, including a Nobel Prize. He continued working at Princeton until his death in 1955 at the age of 76. Einstein's work completely changed the way we view the universe. His theories are still in use today and help us position satellites, build nuclear power plants, and more. He is considered one of the greatest scientists ever—a remarkable genius.
I hope you enjoyed today's guest. Tune in again next week for another exclusive interview with a famous person from the past.