Angela Merkel's incredible rise to a quantum chemist and the world's most powerful woman

Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stands in front of her election-campaign tour bus before a meeting in Berlin on September 16, 2013.

The world's most powerful woman earned her Ph.D. in quantum physics, presides over the richest economy in Europe, and was the central broker in a massive euro-bailout deal.

In short, when the chips are down, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is the undisputed leader Europeans turn to.

In honor of the Bundeskanzlerin birthday, here's the story of Merkel's rise from humble beginnings under an oppressive East German regime to the top spot as Germany's leader.