Albert Einstein (1879-1955) This is Steve Ember. And this is Sarah Long with the VOA Special English program,EXPLORATIONS. Today we tell about a scientist who changed the way we understand the universe, Albert Einstein. In the year 1905, Albert Einstein published some important papers in a German scientific magazine. They included one of the most important scientific documents in history. It was filled with mathematics. It explained what came to be called his "Special Theory of Relativity." Ten years later he expanded it to a "General Theory of Relativity." Albert Einstein's theories of relativity are about the basic ideas we use to describe natural happenings. They are about time, space, mass, movement, and gravity. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879. His father owned a factory that made electrical devices. His mother enjoyed music and books. His parents were Jewish but they did not observe many of the religion's rules. Albert was a quiet child who spent much of his time alone. He was slow to talk and had difficulty learning to read. When Albert was five years old, his father gave him a compass. The child was filled with wonder when he discovered that the compass needle always pointed in the same direction -- to the north. He asked his father and his uncle what caused the needle to move. Explorations is a VOA Special English Product and is in the public domain Voice of America Special English www.manythings.org/voa/people Source: Albert Einstein TEXT = http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2005-02/a-2005-02-22-3-1.cfm?renderforprint=1