Two women in the life of the famous physicist Albert Einstein.

From close friends who shared a common passion, Mileva Maric married and became the first wife of the renowned physicist Albert Einstein. Her cousin, Elsa Lowenthal, became his second wife, serving as his trusted partner and companion.

Mileva Einstein-Maric was born in 1875 in the town of Titel, Serbia, into a wealthy family. In her youth, due to her excellent academic performance, she was allowed to attend an all-boys school in Zagreb. Maric was described as an outstanding student in mathematics and physics. In 1896, Maric briefly attended the University of Zurich in Switzerland before transferring to the Zurich Polytechnic University (the predecessor of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, or ETH today). Among Maric's university friends was Albert Einstein.

During her university years, Maric spent a semester studying in Heidelberg, Germany. This was also the time when Maric began exchanging letters with Einstein, who nicknamed her "Dollie" and urged her to return home soon. Their simple friendship entered a new phase after Maric returned to Switzerland.

While Maric's family supported their relationship, Einstein's parents were strongly opposed. They disapproved of Maric being four years older than Einstein, as well as being religious and coming from a different culture.

Mileva Maric and Albert Einstein. Photo: Wikipedia.

Einstein and Maric's love continued to blossom in the years that followed. However, this was also a time when Maric faced many difficulties in her studies and research. In 1900, when Einstein graduated and began looking for a job, Maric failed her final exams, forcing her to work for a laboratory and prepare for retakes. But once again, her efforts were unsuccessful. During this time, she discovered she was pregnant with Einstein's child.

In early 1902, Maric gave birth to her first daughter at her parents' home in Serbia. However, her daughter Lieserl's identity was unclear. Essentially, records relating to Lieserl disappeared after her birth. Many stories suggest that Lieserl was adopted by another family. The last mention of Lieserl was in 1903, when a letter indicated 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 was born in 1910 and named Eduard.

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 requested a divorce in 1916, with the divorce officially taking effect three years later. According to the agreement, Maric received the Nobel Prize money when Einstein received the prestigious award in 1921.

Maric's life after her divorce from Einstein was quite difficult. She ran a boarding house and taught to make a living. Everything seemed to fall apart when her son Eduard suffered a nervous breakdown in 1930. After being diagnosed with schizophrenia, Eduard had to live in charitable institutions, while his brother Hans Albert moved to the United States with his family in 1938.

Mileva Einstein-Maric died 10 years later.

My cousin - my second wife

Elsa Lowenthal was a distant cousin of Einstein, born on January 18, 1876, in Ulm, Germany. Their relationship grew closer around 1912, even though Einstein was already married to Maric. Elsa had previously been married and divorced. She had two daughters, Ilse and Margo.

Elsa Lowenthal with Albert Einstein. Photo: Wikipedia.

Elsa was considered Einstein's trusted assistant and companion. In 1917, when the famous physicist's illness worsened, Elsa stayed by his side and cared for him, helping him regain his health. The two married on June 2, 1919.

As Einstein's name became increasingly well-known in the scientific community, Elsa was by his side on many trips around the world. They traveled to the United States in 1921, the same year he received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Elsa played a supportive role in Einstein's research career, helping manage his daily affairs until 1928. Even after he got a new secretary, Elsa continued to be her husband's tireless companion.

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

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

According to VnExpress.