Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (1879-1955), was one of the greatest scientists of all time. He is best known for his theory of relativity, which he first advanced when he was only 26. He also made many other contributions to Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Wurttemberg, Germany, the son of Hermann and Paulina Koch Einstein. When Einstein was five years old, his father showed him a pocket compass. Einstein was really impressed by the mysterious behavior of the compass needle, which kept pointing in the same direction no matter which way the compass was turned. He said he felt that "something deeply hidden had to be behind