Birth of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Albert Einstein Biography and Timeline
Follow Albert Einstein through 240 dated historical records for United States of America.
Albert Einstein, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
240Distinct records
1 of 6Page
1879–1911Years on this page
1879
1901
Swiss Citizenship
Einstein becomes a Swiss citizen after having been stateless since 1896.
Capillarity Paper
Publishes his first scientific paper, examining molecular forces through capillary phenomena.
1902
Swiss Patent Office Appointment
Appointed Technical Expert, third class, at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern.
Statistical Mechanics Paper I
Publishes an early paper developing the kinetic theory of thermal equilibrium using statistical methods.
1903
Foundations of Thermodynamics
Publishes further work on the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.
1904
Radiation Energy Fluctuations
Studies fluctuations in radiation energy, an important precursor to his later quantum work.
1905
Photoelectric Effect Paper Submitted
Sends his light-quantum paper to Annalen der Physik, using quanta to explain the photoelectric effect.
Doctoral Dissertation Submitted
Submits A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions as his doctoral dissertation at the University of Zurich.
Brownian Motion Paper Received
Annalen der Physik receives Einstein's paper explaining Brownian motion through molecular collisions.
Special Relativity
Submits On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, establishing the special theory of relativity.
Doctorate Approved
The University of Zurich faculty unanimously approves Einstein's doctoral dissertation.
Mass-Energy Equivalence
Submits the paper deriving the relation between mass and energy from special relativity.
Photoelectric Quantum Explanation
Explains photoelectric emission by proposing that light transfers energy in discrete quanta to electrons.
1906
Doctorate Formally Awarded
The University of Zurich formally awards Einstein his doctorate in physics.
Molecular Dimensions Paper Published
His revised dissertation on molecular dimensions is published in Annalen der Physik.
Second Brownian Motion Paper Published
Publishes a follow-up analysis refining his theory of Brownian motion.
Patent Office Promotion
Promoted to Technical Expert, second class, at the Swiss Patent Office.
Inertia of Energy Conservation
Publishes a relativistic analysis linking conservation of centre-of-gravity motion with the inertia carried by energy, extending the implications of mass-energy equivalence.
Light Production and Absorption Paper
Publishes work extending the light-quantum hypothesis to the production and absorption of radiation.
1907
Gravitational Redshift
Predicts that gravity should shift the frequency of light, later called gravitational redshift.
Accelerated Frames and Gravitation
Extends special-relativistic reasoning to accelerated motion and concludes that gravitation must alter measurements of time, frequency and the propagation of light.
Equivalence Principle
Formulates the equivalence principle, a decisive step toward a relativistic theory of gravitation.
Equivalence Principle
Recognises that a uniformly accelerated frame is locally equivalent to a homogeneous gravitational field, establishing the conceptual starting point for general relativity.
Quantum Theory of Specific Heat
Applies quantum ideas to the specific heat of solids, an early success of quantum theory.
1908
Privatdozent at Bern
Begins teaching at the University of Bern as a Privatdozent.
Relativistic Electrodynamics with Laub
Works with Jakob Laub on electromagnetic equations for moving bodies, reformulating electrodynamics in a way consistent with the special theory of relativity.
Relativity Principle Review
Publishes a broad review of the relativity principle and its consequences, clarifying how the theory changes traditional concepts of space, time and dynamics.
1909
University of Geneva Honorary Doctorate
Receives his first honorary doctorate, awarded by the University of Geneva.
Zurich Physical Society Membership
Becomes a member of the Physical Society of Zurich.
Salzburg Quantum Lecture
Presents a major lecture arguing that radiation displays both wave-like and particle-like properties.
University of Zurich Appointment
Becomes associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich.
1910
Critical Opalescence Theory
Explains critical opalescence using fluctuations near a liquid-gas critical point.
French Review of Relativity
Presents the principle of relativity and its consequences for modern physics to a wider European audience in a substantial French-language review.
1911
Light Deflection
Predicts that gravity should bend starlight and proposes a solar-eclipse test.
Solar Eclipse Relativity Test Proposal
Urges astronomers to test gravitational light bending during a total solar eclipse, linking his theoretical calculation directly to a possible astronomical observation.
Solar Light Deflection Prediction
Calculates that the Sun's gravitational field should bend passing starlight, turning the emerging gravitational theory into a prediction accessible to eclipse astronomy.
First Solvay Conference
Participates in the first Solvay Conference, discussing radiation and quantum theory with leading physicists.
Gravitational Redshift Prediction
Derives the expectation that light climbing through a gravitational field should lose frequency, providing an early relativistic prediction of gravitational redshift.
Prague Gravitation Research Programme
Uses his Prague professorship to intensify work on a relativistic theory of gravitation, concentrating on how acceleration, clocks and light behave in gravity.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.