Albert Einstein had an unconventional early life and made mistakes as a young man, but went on to become one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. He was born in Germany in 1879 and showed an early interest in science and nature. After graduating from the Swiss Polytechnic University in Zurich, he published his theory of special relativity in 1905 and his general theory of relativity in 1915, revolutionizing physics and our understanding of space, time, and gravity. Later in life, he fled Nazi Germany and immigrated to the United States, where he spent the rest of his life until his death in 1955.