Theory of relativity - Zeitgeist is relative
Pop stars normally become famous on the strength of music which is easy to sing along to. Albert Einstein, however, enjoys much the same status despite the fact that virtually no-one can recite his greatest hit, the theory of relativity. The man who liked to stick his tongue out and whose face is known the world over was an expert in marketing himself and his inventions even back at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1905, he called into question the absolute nature of space and time. Time, he claimed, depends always on the speed of a moving body, and as such any statements made about time must always be relative to a body of reference. For instance, a watch in an aeroplane or express train moves more slowly than a watch worn by a person walking. In conjunction with his formulation of the general theory of relativity in 1915, Einstein changed the way people all over the world view space and time.
Significance: Einstein's predictions are so precise that his theory is still regarded today as the one which has been best confirmed. Research into the smallest of the small – elementary particles – and the biggest of the big – the universe – would be inconceivable without his theories.
Invented by: Albert Einstein
In: 1905
