Birth

Albert Einstein's parents had no idea how much the world would change because of the little boy who was born at 11:30 am on March 14, 1879. The boy was born in Ulm, an old city in the southwest of the new German Empire. Initially, his parents wanted to call him Abraham, after his grandfather. However, they thought the name sounded too Jewish (although they were of Jewish descent, they had little interest in religion), so they changed his name to Albert. That name would forever be etched in the history books.

Parents

Einstein's parents, Hermann, was born in 1847 in the German city of Buchau. When Albert was born, Hermann co-owned a feather bed shop in Ulm. His mother's name was Pauline Koch, born in 1858 in Cannstatt, a German city near Stuttgart. The two married in 1876 when Pauline was just 18. In 1880 Hermann left his poorly running bed shop and together with his brother Jakob he founded a company that made electrical equipment and lighting, called Einstein & Cie. The family moved to Munich, where the company was also located. Unfortunately, it never brought the wealth Hermann had hoped for. He passed away in 1902. Pauline lived until 1920.

Einstein's Sister

Hermann and Pauline Einstein had only one other child, Maria or "Maja", as she was called affectionately. She was born two years after Albert, in 1881. When Albert first saw her, he reportedly said, "Where are the wheels?", assuming she was a new toy to him. The two were not only brother and sister, but also very good friends. After the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s, Maja followed Albert and many other Jews to the United States and settled close to her brother in Princeton in 1939. Her health deteriorated sharply in 1946 after a stroke. She died of arteriosclerosis, clogged veins, in 1951. Einstein wrote in a letter: "I miss her more than you can imagine".