He’s the scientist who created the most famous equation in the world. We may not understand what it means but we’ve all certainly heard of e=mc2. Even people who hated physics at school usually know Einstein’s name. His wild hair, thoughtful expression and brilliant discoveries turned him into one of the most recognisable scientists in history. In the run up to British Science Week, here are some facts you might not know about our Albert Einstein.
1. He didn’t fail maths
This urban legend has been doing the rounds for years, but it’s not true. Einstein was actually a brilliantly bright child. However, he did fail an entrance exam to Zurich Polytechnic but it was down to his lack of French, not his maths skills. In fact, by the age of fifteen he had already mastered advanced mathematics that many adults would struggle to understand. Somehow the rumour that he failed maths became more famous than the truth itself.
2. He didn’t win his Nobel prize for the theory of relativity
Einstein’s most famous theory wasn’t awarded with a Nobel prize. In fact, the theory of relativity was never awarded a prize. In 1921, he was awarded the prize for his work on photons. To many people in the science community, including Einstein himself, this felt like a huge snub. At the time, some scientists still questioned relativity because it sounded so strange and revolutionary. Today it’s considered one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs ever.
3. He was a talented musician.
Einstein’s piano-playing mother ensured that music was a huge part of his life from an early age. He began violin lessons aged five. He hated playing until he heard Mozart as a teenager and then he played for the rest of his life. He often said music helped him think and solve problems. Friends recalled him picking up the violin whenever he became stuck on a difficult idea.
4. He was unsuitable for employment
Einstein may have succeeded academically but he was deemed unsuitable for employment by all of his professors and none would give him a recommendation. It took him nine years to find work. Eventually he found a job at a patent office in Switzerland where he reviewed inventions during the day and worked on scientific theories in his spare time. Not a bad side project.
5. There was a bounty on his head
Einstein was born in Germany but he left for the United States when Nazi Regime stopped Jews holding any official position. A £5000 bounty was placed on his head and he was watched by intelligence authorities in America for years - they suspected him of being a spy. His fame made him admired around the world but it also made him a target. Despite this, Einstein continued speaking out against war, nationalism and racism.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
6. His brain was stolen
Having your brain nicked after your death is probably a sign that you didn’t do too badly career-wise. Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who looked after Einstein’s autopsy, took his brain without permission. He lost his job and years later his medical license. Scientists later studied parts of Einstein’s brain for decades, hoping to understand whether genius could somehow be physically measured.
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
7. He couldn’t swim.
Despite Einstein being a keen sailor, he had never learned how to swim. He also couldn’t drive. Friends said Einstein loved being out on the water, although his sailing skills were apparently far less impressive than his scientific ones. He was known for drifting happily along while other sailors worried about the practical details.
8. He didn’t actually wear socks
Evidently Einstein had never tried funny socks like ChattyFeet. He didn’t really like wearing socks and once bragged about not wearing them while he was at Oxford! Don’t worry, Albert, we won’t hold it against you. According to Einstein, socks always developed holes anyway, so he decided there was little point bothering with them. Somewhere out there is an alternate universe where Einstein discovered ChattyFeet and changed his mind.
9. He became famous across the world almost overnight
In 1919, scientists confirmed one of Einstein’s theories during a solar eclipse. Newspapers around the world suddenly started calling him a genius and scientific superstar. Imagine waking up one morning and discovering the entire planet was talking about your homework.
10. He loved curiosity more than certainty
Einstein believed curiosity mattered more than memorising facts. He encouraged people to keep asking questions and stay playful in the way they approached life and learning. That’s probably one reason his quotes are still shared everywhere today.
11. He loved asking unusual questions
Einstein’s ideas often started with strange questions rather than laboratory experiments. As a young man, he imagined what it would feel like to ride alongside a beam of light through space. That unique thought experiment eventually helped shape some of his most important discoveries. It’s a good reminder that curiosity sometimes begins with questions that sound completely ridiculous at first.
12. He inspired generations far beyond science
Einstein’s influence reached far beyond physics classrooms and laboratories. His face became part of popular culture and his ideas inspired films, books, posters and endless school projects. Even people who know nothing about science still recognise his wild hairstyle and curious personality. More than anything, Einstein became a symbol of creativity, imagination and looking at the world differently.
13. He valued imagination just as much as knowledge
Einstein famously believed imagination was incredibly important because it allowed people to think beyond the limits of what already existed. While many people picture scientists surrounded by complicated formulas, Einstein often spoke about creativity, curiosity and daydreaming. He once described many of his ideas as thought experiments, where he simply imagined strange situations and followed them to their logical conclusion. It turns out that spending time wondering ‘what if?’ can sometimes change the entire world.
ChattyFeet brings fun moments into the day with retro socks, enamel pins, mugs and paper toys. Browse our collection of funny socks for men & cool socks for women. Our cheerful characters celebrate artists, scientists, writers and musicians who changed the world in their own wonderfully unusual ways.
