Two beauties in the life of famous physicist Albert Einstein

From close friends and sharing the same passion, Mileva Maric married and became the first wife of the famous physicist Albert Einstein. Her cousin Elsa Lowenthal became his second life partner, playing the role of trusted collaborator and companion.

Mileva Einstein-Maric was born in 1875 in the town of Titel, Serbia, to a wealthy family. As a teenager, because of her good academic performance, she was allowed to attend an all-boys school in Zagreb. Maric was described as an excellent student in mathematics and physics. In 1896, Maric began studying at the University of Zurich, Switzerland for a short time and then transferred to the Zurich Polytechnic Institute (the predecessor of today's Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, or ETH). Among Maric's university friends was Albert Einstein.

During her time at university, Maric spent a semester studying in Heidelberg, Germany. This was also the time when Maric began corresponding with Einstein, who nicknamed her “Dollie” and urged her to return soon. The friendship entered a new phase after Maric returned to Switzerland.

While Maric's family supported the relationship, Einstein's parents were adamantly against it. They did not approve of the fact that Maric was four years older than Einstein, was religious, and came from a different culture.

Mileva Maric and Albert Einstein. Photo: Wikipedia.

Einstein and Maric's love continued to blossom in the following months. However, this was a time when Maric encountered many difficulties in studying and researching. In 1900, when Einstein graduated and began looking for a job, Maric failed her final exams, forced to work in a laboratory and prepare for re-examination. However, once again, her efforts were unsuccessful. During this time, she discovered that she was pregnant with Einstein's child.

In early 1902, Maric gave birth to her first daughter, Lieserl, at her parents' home in Serbia. However, the status of her daughter, Lieserl, is unclear. Records of Lieserl essentially disappeared after her birth. Many stories say that Lieserl was adopted by another family. The last time Lieserl was heard from was in 1903, when a letter said that she had contracted scarlet fever.

Marry

Einstein and Maric reunited in 1903. They married in Bern, Switzerland. A year later, they welcomed their son Hans Albert. Their third child, Eduard, was born in 1910.

Einstein became a professor at ETH in 1912. During this time, Einstein began a relationship with his cousin Elsa Lowenthal. In 1914, Einstein moved to Berlin. Maric and their two children followed him there, but soon returned to Switzerland. Einstein asked for a divorce in 1916, and the divorce became final three years later. According to the agreement, Maric was to receive the Nobel Prize money when Einstein received the prestigious award in 1921.

Maric’s life after her divorce from Einstein was difficult. She ran a boarding house and taught school to make ends meet. Everything seemed to fall apart before her eyes when her son Eduard suffered a nervous breakdown in 1930. After being diagnosed with schizophrenia, Eduard was institutionalized, while his brother Hans Albert moved to the United States with his family in 1938.

Mileva Einstein-Maric died 10 years later.

Cousin - Second Wife

Elsa Lowenthal was Einstein's distant cousin, born on January 18, 1876, in Ulm, Germany. Their relationship became more intimate and close around 1912, although Einstein was already married to Maric. Elsa had been married and divorced before. She had two daughters, Ilse and Margo.

Elsa Lowenthal with Albert Einstein. Photo: Wikipedia.

Elsa was considered Einstein's assistant and trusted companion. In 1917, the famous physicist's illness showed signs of worsening, Elsa was the one who stayed by his side and took care of him until he was healthy again. The two married on June 2, 1919.

As Einstein became more widely known in the scientific community, Elsa accompanied him on many trips around the world. They visited the United States in 1921, the same year he received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Elsa supported Einstein's research career, helping to manage his daily affairs until 1928. Even after he took on a new secretary, Elsa continued to be his tireless companion.

After the Nazis came to power, things began to get tough for Einstein. He had spoken out against the Nazis because of their anti-Jewish policies. In 1933, while traveling with Elsa to other countries, Einstein discovered that their home had been ransacked and their property had been seized. Realizing that he could not return to Germany, Einstein decided to stay in the United States. There, Einstein became a professor of theoretical physics at the Princeton Research Institute in New Jersey.

Elsa learned that her daughter Ilse had cancer a year later and traveled to Paris to be with her in her final days. Shortly after Ilse's death, Elsa suffered from heart and lung problems. She died in her Princeton home on December 20, 1936.

According to VnExpress