Fascinating Facts About Pi Day & Birthday Boy Albert Einstein

"To celebrate Albert Einstein's birthday on March 14, which also happens to be Pi Day, we're taking a look at some fascinating facts about one of science's most intriguing geniuses and one of mathematics' most intriguing numbers." according to Biography.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, which is also celebrated as Pi Day, honoring the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, otherwise known as the mathematical constant π.
Photo: Biography

One of science's greatest minds of all time, Albert Einstein, was born on March 14, 1879, at his family's home in Ulm, Germany. He shares his birthday with Pi Day, a celebration of this special never-ending number. Einstein's life in science started early, with him writing his first scientific paper when he was only a teenager. In 1905, Einstein published several influential works, tackling such topics as relativity and introducing his most famous equation on mass and energy  E=mc2. And, in 1921, he earned the Nobel Prize in physics.

While his scientific feats are legendary, there is so much more to know about the great Albert Einstein than just his work. What was he like as a kid? How did he spend his free time? What causes did he care about? Let's take a closer look at the life of this incredible genius with some bonus factoids about the fascinating number — π  — that he shares a special day with.

Einstein was a late talker. 

His parents worried that there was something wrong with him early on and even had him examined by doctors. He didn't really start using words until after he was two years old, but even after he started speaking, he often took unnatural pauses. No one knew in these very early years that they had a genius on their hands. In fact, many biographies on Einstein include the family maid's opinion of young Einstein. She thought he was "a dope." While he was slow with language, Einstein showed early sparks of interest in science. A gift of a compass from his father when he was five years old led to a lifetime fascination with magnetic fields.

Einstein wasn't a big fan of school. 
  

Photo: Biography  

Despite some claims, he actually did well in his classes, especially math and science. Einstein, however, didn't like the way he was taught. He later remarked that "It is almost a miracle that modern teaching methods have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for what this delicate little plant needs more than anything, besides stimulation, is freedom," according to an article on the American Institute of Physics website. 

Some of his most important learning was done outside of class. His uncle, Jakob Einstein, introduced him to algebra. A young Jewish medical student, Max Talmud, also served as an advisor of sorts. Talmud visited the Einstein home for dinner weekly for a time and brought books for young Albert to read. These influential texts included People's Books on Natural Science and philosophical works by Immanuel Kant and David Hume.
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Source: Biography