Did you know Albert Einstein played the violin?

One of the world's most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, loved playing the violin.

In fact, he started learning when he was just four years old, and he played almost every day for his entire life.

Now, one of Einstein's very own violins has been sold at auction for £860,000. Once the auction fees are added, the final price will be over £1 million.

The violin, made in 1894 by a maker named Zunterer, was expected to sell for around £300,000, but eager collectors pushed the price much higher.

It's thought the violin could be one of the most expensive ever sold, that wasn't played by a professional concert violinist or made by a famous violin maker.

The only other violin in a similar category to sell for a similar high price was believed to have been played on the famous sunken ship the Titanic.

Who was Albert Einstein?

Born in Germany in 1879, Albert Einstein was one of the most important scientists in history. He was also famous for his iconic look with big, wild hair!

Einstein came up with the theory of relativity, which changed the way we understand time, space, and gravity.

It includes the famous equation: E = mc² which helped scientists understand things like black holes and how the Sun produces energy.

But Einstein wasn't just about science - he was passionate about music, too.

He said that if he hadn't become a scientist, he would have liked to be a musician and believed that playing his violin helped him think more creatively.

Albert Einstein sticks out his tongue when asked by photographers to smile on the occasion of his 72nd birthday in 1951

During the 1930s, life became very dangerous for Jewish people in Germany because of the rise of the Nazis.

Einstein, who was Jewish, left Germany and moved to the United States where he lived for the rest of his life.

Just before he moved to the US, Einstein gave his violin, bicycle saddle, and a philosophy book, to friend, who later passed them on to an Einstein fan.

Many years later, that person's great-great-granddaughter has decided to auction the items.

The auction took place in Gloucestershire and along with the violin, the philosophy book sold for £2,200.

But Einstein's bike saddle didn't find a buyer this time.