Albert Einstein once said: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to go into opposite direction." When talking about Einstein, it is important to realize the struggle he faced to have his scientific revelations accepted by others in the field of physics. Einstein's ideas were so extraordinarily revolutionary that many did not understand the theories presented. His genius remains extremely relevant today. For example, today the word "Einstein" is synonymous with genius. Einstein is influential for his contributions to physics, for winning the Nobel Prize, and for using his fame to promote his social and political views. Einstein was born in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Although his parents initially believed that he possessed learning difficulties (due to the fact that he did not speak until the age of 3), he showed an extraordinary interest in nature and retained the ability to understand complex mathematical ideas in his youth. Around that time, his family moved to Munich, Bavaria, and opened a small shop that produced electrical machinery. At the age of 12 he successfully taught himself Euclidean geometry. Despite the fact that Einstein was disgusted by the mundanity of the education offered in Munich, he enjoyed learning. When he was 15, his family was forced to move to Milan, Italy, due to business failure, and Einstein decided to drop out of school. Even as a young man he was brilliant; however, he refused to apply himself in class. As a college student, he often skipped classes to study physics in his free time or to play the violin. Because of his reluctance to engage in......middle paper...lopedia of Philosophy, 2006. 2nd ed.Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 178-182. Opposing points of view in context. Network. February 24, 2014.Dawson, Dawn P., ed. Major Events 1900-2001 Revised Edition (Volume 1) 1900-1920. Pasadena: Salem Press, Inc, 2002. Print. January 31, 2014. “Einstein/Sachs Document Collection.” mphpa.org.The Manhattan Project Heritage PreservationAssociation, Inc. August 3, 2005. Web. March 2, 2014. “The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921.” nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 24 February 2014. "Albert Einstein: Annus Mirabilis". shmoop.com. 2014. Web. 2 March 2014. Glassstone, Samuel. "Albert Einstein 1879-1955". Np 1994. Web. 26 February 2014. Gaynor, T.F. "He says that Einstein's theory is based on an error. The famous mathematician declares the German scientist's axioms of relativity to be a hoax". Fort Wayne News Sentinel October 09, 1921: 11.Newsbank. Network. March 10. 2014.