Albert Einstein: 1879-1955

Einstein's second wife, Elsa, was a familiar sight to fans throughout his travels around the world. A distant cousin, the provincial Elsa served as a stationmaster of sorts for Einstein's busy life, steering well clear — with her husband's approval — of scientific matters. Said one Einstein colleague, "Einstein might be the lion among thinkers, but this good woman felt, and rightly so, that to a large extent the world owed him to her."

• Person of the Century: Albert Einstein