Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. His parents were Pauline and Hermann. Hermann was a featherbed salesman, and his mother was unemployed. The family was Jewish, but did not strictly follow the religion. His mother wanted schooling to be important to him, and felt that music would be a stimulating way to keep his mind active. That is why she enrolled him in violin lessons at an early age. (1)

Einstein was a slow learner and very shy, and that is how his parents and teachers regarded him as. This was shown by his amazement when shown a compass for the first time by his father at 5 years old. He later regarded this as the most eye-opening experience he ever had. (1)

Einstein studied mathematics for the first time at the age of twelve. This is when he also began to read as self-education. Two of his uncles suggested that...