The Forgotten Life of Mileva Mari\'c Einstein

TL;DR

This paper highlights the largely overlooked scientific contributions of Mileva Marić Einstein, emphasizing her collaboration with Albert Einstein and her role in the scientific community of their time.

Contribution

It sheds light on Mileva Marić Einstein's life and her collaborative role in Einstein's early scientific development, which has been largely ignored in historical accounts.

Findings

Evidence of collaboration from letters and testimonies

Mileva Marić's shared passion for physics and music

Her influence on Einstein's scientific journey

Abstract

Today, February 11, is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the perfect day to remember Mileva Mari\'{c} Einstein, a brilliant but largely unknown scientist. While her husband, Albert Einstein is celebrated as perhaps the best physicist of the century, one question about his career remains: How much did his first wife contribute to his groundbreaking science? While it is not possible to credit her with any specific part of his work, their letters and numerous testimonies presented in books dedicated to her $^{[1-5]}$ provide substantial evidence on how they collaborated from the time they met in 1896 up to their separation in 1914. They depict a couple united by a shared passion for physics, music and for each other. So here is her story.