Home Life:
    Edward Teller was born to jewish parents Max and Ilona Teller January 15, 1908 in Budapest, Hungary. The Tellers were an upper middle class family due to Edward's father being a lawyer. The tellers also had a daughter Emmi who was twenty months older than Edward.  Until Edward was four he showed few signs of being exceptionally intelligent in fact there was concern that he may lack even normal intelligence. At four however Edward began to speak in full sentences and show great promise. By age six he was laying in bed at night and work multiplication problems. He soon also showed great promise as a pianist, something he would enjoy throughout his lifetime.
    By seventeen young Edward had found the young woman whom he would marry. A sixteen year old Augusta Maria nicknamed Mici, who was the sister of a close friend Edward Harkanyi.  On February 26, 1934 Edward and Mici were married in a civil ceremony.

Formal Education:
    Edward began formal schooling at the age of six at the Melling School. Edward displayed a curiosity and eccentricity that would lead to awkward moments. Upon hearing the biblical account of how the serpent was made to crawl on its belly as a punishment, young Edward asked how it got around before the punishment was imposed. He would often be absorbed in extended periods of quite concentration going as far as to ask people not to talk to him because he had a problem. This was  accepted well by his family but not by classmates. Edward was targeted by older children for pranks. To deal with the bullies Edward asked for a longer book strap, the next day as the bullies approached Edward swung his strapped books in an arc that beat back the bullies. They never bothered him again.
    Edward attended the Minta middle school. He was immediately intrigued by the world of books. But found Latin to of little importance. He also had difficulty in math but not due to a lack of ability but boredom. This ws illustrated by Edward suggesting a better solution to a problem that the one provided by the instructor. This lead the instructor Dr. Karl Oberle to state, "So, you are a genius" "Well, I don't like geniuses."
    Edward began his university education close to home, bowing to his mothers insistence, at the University of Budapest. His father had talked him into studying engineering instead of math as his main subject. After a dissatisfying period at the university in 1926 Edward enrolled at the Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany.  In 1928 Edward again switched schools to the University of Munich, where he would study physics.  In 1928 Edward had an accident leaving a moving street car which led to part of his foot being amputated. This delay in his education would also lead to Edward's final switch of schools before receiving his Ph.D. Edward transferred to the University of Leipzig. He received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics in 1930.

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