A Difficult Start
Albert was born on March 14th, 1879 in Ulm, a city located in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg. His father was an engineer and salesman and moved his family to Munich the following year to start a business.
Einstein revealed to his biographer in the later years of his life that he actually had difficulty speaking until he was 3. This condition of exceptionally bright children having delayed speech skills is called Einstein Syndrome now.
A Budding Scientist
Since his father ran a business in Munich, his formative years were spent in front of toy sets and large puzzles. Even as a teenager, he showed a fascination for creating complex structures out of different materials like cards and building blocks. Einstein’s interest in science began at a young age. By the age of 12, he was excelling in both mathematics and physics.
In fact, at the age of 12, he even discovered his own independent proof for the Pythagorean theorem. Understanding the interests and incredible talents of young Albert, his family tutor, Max Talmud, gave the boy a geometry book which he ripped through quickly. By the age of 14, he had completely mastered most areas of calculus.
The Start of a Prolific Career
It was in 1905, while he was working at the patent office in Switzerland, that Einstein finally completed his thesis and received a Ph.D. Within 3 years, he was employed as a lecturer at the University of Bern and was recognized as a revered scientist.