Math & science · 1905

Special relativity

Einstein shows space and time depend on motion and that E = mc^2.

Taking the speed of light as constant for all observers explained the ether null result. Mass-energy equivalence underlies nuclear power, and relativistic corrections are built into GPS.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Michelson-Morley experiment 1887
Maxwell's equations 1865

What it led to 6

General relativity 1915
Dirac equation and antimatter 1928
Nuclear fission 1938
Stellarator 1951
First thermonuclear fusion 1952
GPS 1978

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Nuclear electricity generation Latest: 2.81k TWh (2025) Source: Our World in Data