Albert Einstein History Quiz
Test your knowledge of Albert Einstein — from his revolutionary theories of relativity and his Nobel Prize for the photoelectric effect to his flight from Nazi Germany and his fateful letter about the atomic bomb. Can you answer all 15 questions?
Review questions and answers
Open after playing to review every question, the correct answers, and the historical explanations.
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In which country was Albert Einstein born?
Germany
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg in the German Empire. His family moved to Munich when he was an infant. Although Einstein is often associated with Switzerland (where he studied and worked early in his career) and the United States (where he spent his later years), he was born and raised in Germany.
Fun Fact: Einstein's birthday, March 14 (3/14), is celebrated internationally as Pi Day, since the date matches the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi.
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What was Einstein's 'Annus Mirabilis' (miracle year), and when did it occur?
1905 — the year he published four groundbreaking papers while working as a patent clerk
In 1905, while working as a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, the 26-year-old Einstein published four revolutionary papers in the Annalen der Physik. These addressed the photoelectric effect (which proved light has particle-like properties), Brownian motion (providing evidence for atoms), special relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy (E=mc2). Any one of these papers would have made a career; together they transformed physics.
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For which discovery did Einstein actually receive the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics?
The explanation of the photoelectric effect
Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect, not for relativity. His 1905 paper demonstrated that light consists of discrete packets of energy called quanta (later called photons), explaining why light striking a metal surface ejects electrons only above a certain frequency regardless of intensity. The Nobel committee considered relativity too controversial and not yet sufficiently verified experimentally at the time.
Fun Fact: Einstein was traveling on a ship to Japan when he learned he had won the Nobel Prize. He gave his Nobel Prize money to his first wife, Mileva Maric, as part of their divorce settlement.
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What does Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 express?
The equivalence of mass and energy, where a small amount of mass can be converted into an enormous amount of energy
E=mc2, published as part of Einstein's special relativity in 1905, states that energy (E) equals mass (m) multiplied by the speed of light squared (c2). Because the speed of light is such an enormous number (approximately 300,000 km/s), even a tiny amount of mass corresponds to a tremendous amount of energy. This equation underpins nuclear power and nuclear weapons, where small amounts of matter are converted into vast energy.
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What was the key insight of Einstein's special theory of relativity (1905)?
The laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and the speed of light is constant regardless of the observer's motion
Special relativity rests on two postulates: the laws of physics are identical in all inertial (non-accelerating) reference frames, and the speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers regardless of their relative motion. From these deceptively simple premises, Einstein derived revolutionary consequences: time dilation (moving clocks run slower), length contraction, and the equivalence of mass and energy.
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What did Einstein's general theory of relativity (1915) fundamentally redefine?
Gravity, describing it as the curvature of space-time caused by mass and energy
General relativity, completed in November 1915, replaced Newton's concept of gravity as a force acting at a distance with a geometric description: massive objects curve the fabric of space-time, and other objects follow curved paths through this warped geometry. This theory predicted phenomena such as the bending of light by gravity, gravitational time dilation, and gravitational waves — all of which have been experimentally confirmed.
Fun Fact: GPS satellites must account for both special and general relativistic time effects — without these corrections, GPS positions would drift by about 10 kilometers per day.
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Which 1919 event provided the first major experimental confirmation of general relativity and made Einstein a worldwide celebrity?
Arthur Eddington's solar eclipse observations showing starlight bending around the Sun
During the total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, British astronomer Arthur Eddington led expeditions to Principe (off the west coast of Africa) and Sobral (Brazil) to photograph stars near the Sun. The photographs showed that starlight was deflected by the Sun's gravity by the amount predicted by general relativity — roughly 1.75 arc seconds. The results, announced in November 1919, made front-page news worldwide and turned Einstein into an international celebrity overnight.
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Why did Einstein leave Germany in December 1932?
He left due to the rise of the Nazi Party and increasing persecution of Jews
Einstein left Germany in December 1932 as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were consolidating power. As a prominent Jewish intellectual and pacifist, Einstein was a target of Nazi hostility — his works were labeled 'Jewish physics' and his books were among those burned in Nazi book burnings. He never returned to Germany. He settled in the United States, accepting a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he worked for the rest of his life.
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What was the significance of the Einstein-Szilard letter of August 1939?
It warned President Roosevelt that Germany might develop an atomic bomb and urged the US to begin its own nuclear research
On August 2, 1939, Einstein signed a letter (drafted primarily by physicist Leo Szilard) to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning that recent nuclear fission research could lead to the construction of extremely powerful bombs, and that Nazi Germany might be pursuing such weapons. This letter helped spur the creation of the Advisory Committee on Uranium, which eventually led to the Manhattan Project. Einstein later called signing the letter the 'one great mistake' of his life.
Fun Fact: Despite his role in initiating the nuclear program, Einstein was never given security clearance to work on the Manhattan Project itself — the FBI considered him a security risk due to his pacifist and leftist political associations.
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What was Einstein's position on the use of atomic weapons after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
He became a vocal advocate for nuclear disarmament and international control of atomic energy
After the atomic bombings of Japan in August 1945, Einstein became a passionate advocate for nuclear disarmament and international cooperation. He helped found the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists in 1946 to promote awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons. Shortly before his death in 1955, he signed the Russell-Einstein Manifesto alongside Bertrand Russell, calling on world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflicts.
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Which position was Einstein offered in 1952 that he famously declined?
President of the State of Israel
In November 1952, following the death of Chaim Weizmann, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Einstein respectfully declined, writing that he lacked the 'natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people.' While the Israeli presidency was largely a ceremonial role, Einstein felt he was not suited for any official public position and wished to continue his scientific work.
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What unified theory did Einstein spend the last 30 years of his life pursuing without success?
A unified field theory combining gravity and electromagnetism
From the mid-1920s until his death in 1955, Einstein devoted himself to finding a unified field theory that would merge gravity (described by general relativity) and electromagnetism into a single mathematical framework. This quest was unsuccessful and increasingly isolated him from mainstream physics, as most physicists had shifted focus to quantum mechanics. The pursuit of unification in physics continues today, though in forms Einstein could not have anticipated.
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What was Einstein's relationship with quantum mechanics?
He made crucial early contributions to quantum theory but later objected to its probabilistic interpretation
Einstein was one of the founders of quantum theory — his 1905 photoelectric effect paper and his 1917 work on stimulated emission were groundbreaking quantum contributions. However, he became increasingly uncomfortable with the Copenhagen interpretation's reliance on probability and indeterminacy. His famous objection, 'God does not play dice with the universe,' reflected his belief that quantum mechanics was incomplete rather than wrong. His EPR paradox paper (1935) challenged quantum mechanics but ultimately led to confirming its predictions.
Fun Fact: Einstein's 1917 paper on stimulated emission of radiation laid the theoretical groundwork for the invention of the laser, which was not built until 1960, five years after his death.
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What happened to Einstein's brain after his death in 1955?
It was preserved by the pathologist Thomas Harvey without the family's initial permission
When Einstein died on April 18, 1955, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, Thomas Harvey, removed Einstein's brain without the explicit prior permission of Einstein or his family. Harvey kept the brain for decades, occasionally sending sections to researchers. Einstein had actually requested cremation, and his ashes were scattered at an undisclosed location. Harvey eventually received retroactive permission from Einstein's son Hans Albert.
Fun Fact: Studies of Einstein's brain found several unusual features, including an exceptionally large parietal lobe region associated with mathematical and spatial reasoning, and a higher-than-average density of glial cells.
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In which year did Einstein become a naturalized citizen of the United States?
1940
Einstein became a naturalized US citizen on October 1, 1940, while retaining his Swiss citizenship. He had arrived in the United States in 1933 after leaving Germany and had been living in Princeton, New Jersey, working at the Institute for Advanced Study. He remained an American citizen for the rest of his life and was a vocal participant in American public life, advocating for civil rights and against McCarthyism.