Max Planck (his full name is Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck), was born on April 23,1858 in Kiel Schleswig Germany; he died on October 4, 1947, Göttingen, Germany. Max Planck's work helped to the understanding of the atomic and subatomic processes. He is known as the originator of the quantum theory of energy. Max's quantum theory helped Albert Einstein describe the particle properties of light by demonstrating that electromagnetic radiation, including light, has the characteristics of both a wave and, consistent with Max's theory, a particle; these particles were later called photons. Neils Bohr also used Planck's theories to develop a new and more accurate model of the atom. Planck realized that light and other electromagnetic waves were emitted in discrete packets of energy that he called quanta (or quantum in singular) which could only take on certain discrete values (multiples of a certain constant, which now bears the name the Planck constant). He then turned his attention to the black body radiation problem, the observation that the greatest amount of energy being radiated from a "black body" falls near the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum, rather than in the ultraviolet region as classical theory would suggest. He found out that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body depends on the frequency of the radiation and the temperature of the body. His Father, Johann Planck, was a law professor who came from an academic family. Max's mother, Emma Patzig, was lively and well-liked in the academic circles Max's family moved in. During a Spring Vacation in 1877, close to Max's 20th birthday, Planck embarked on a hiking tour in northern Italy with university friends including the mathematician Carl Runge. While walking, the students discussed science, mathematics, and theirs views of the world; they discussed Christianity and religion and questioned about them. With that discussion, they both changed how they viewed the world and how they saw religion.