Born into a Jewish family on 14th March 1879 in Germany, Einstein had early speech difficulties, still he was a topper at the elementary school. His father, Hermann Einstein was a salesman and engineer, who with his brother, founded an electrical equipment manufacturing company. Albert had a sister, Maja, two years younger to him. When Albert was five, his father showed him a pocket compass. Albert realized that something in empty space was moving the needle and later stated that this experience made ‘a deep and lasting impression’ on him. In 1889, a family friend named Max Talmud introduced the ten year old Albert to popular science and philosophy texts. These included Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’ and ‘Euclid’s Elements’. From the latter book, Albert began to understand deductive reasoning, and by the age of 12, he learned Euclidian geometry from a school booklet. In his early teens, Albert attended the new and progressive Luitpold Gymnasium. His father intended him to pursue electrical engineering, but Albert clashed with the authorities and resented rote learning. According to him, the spirit of learning and creative thought were lost in rote learning.