Mileva Marić

Mileva Marić was a Serbian physicist and mathematician, and the first wife of Albert Einstein. She was one of the first women to study physics and mathematics at an advanced level in Europe, attending the ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. The extent of her scientific collaboration with Einstein, particularly during their marriage, has been the subject of extensive historical debate and research.

Early life and education

Marić was born into a wealthy family in Titel, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Demonstrating exceptional academic talent from a young age, she received special permission to attend the all-male Royal Classical High School in Zagreb, where she excelled. In 1896, she began her studies in medicine at the University of Zurich but soon switched to physics and mathematics at the ETH Zurich, becoming the only woman in her section. Her classmates included Albert Einstein and Marcel Grossmann. She later continued her studies at the University of Heidelberg under prominent physicists like Philipp Lenard before returning to Zürich to complete her diploma.

Relationship with Albert Einstein

Marić and Einstein developed a close intellectual and romantic relationship during their studies at ETH Zurich. Their extensive correspondence, part of the Einstein Papers Project, reveals deep discussions on physics, including topics like electrodynamics and the ether theory. They married in Bern in 1903, after facing opposition from Einstein's family and the birth of their daughter, Lieserl, whose fate remains unknown. During their marriage, which lasted until their divorce in 1919, they lived in Bern, Zürich, and Prague. Their relationship deteriorated over time, culminating in a formal separation agreement in 1914, after Einstein moved to Berlin to take a position at the Prussian Academy of Sciences.

Scientific contributions and collaboration

The nature of Marić's collaboration with Einstein is a contested aspect of the history of physics. Some historians and biographers, citing their early letters and testimonies from contemporaries like Michele Besso, suggest she was an active partner in the development of ideas leading to Einstein's Annus Mirabilis papers of 1905, particularly on special relativity and Brownian motion. Others argue the evidence is inconclusive. She failed her final diploma examination at ETH Zurich in 1900, while Einstein passed, and her name does not appear as a co-author on any of his published works. Nonetheless, she is recognized as a capable physicist who provided crucial mathematical support and a sounding board for Einstein's revolutionary ideas during their early years together.

Later life and legacy

After her divorce from Einstein, who later married Elsa Einstein, Marić settled in Zürich with their two sons. She lived on the alimony and the monetary portion of Einstein's 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, as stipulated in their divorce settlement. She largely withdrew from scientific life, though she maintained contact with the academic community in Zürich. Her later years were marked by financial struggles and the illness of her son, Eduard Einstein, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since the late 20th century, interest in her life and potential role in early 20th-century physics has grown significantly, inspiring numerous biographies, scholarly studies, and cultural works that re-examine her place in scientific history.

Personal life and family

Marić and Einstein had three children: a daughter, Lieserl, born before their marriage in 1902 in Novi Sad; and two sons, Hans Albert and Eduard Einstein. She was deeply devoted to her children, with Hans Albert becoming a noted professor of hydraulic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Eduard's severe mental illness required prolonged hospitalization, which was a source of great personal anguish for Marić. She maintained a close relationship with her family in Vojvodina and was a private individual, with much of her personal story pieced together from the correspondence of Einstein and their acquaintances.

Category:Serbian physicists Category:1875 births Category:1948 deaths