Who they are
Albert Einstein developed the special and general theories of relativity, changing how physics describes time, motion and gravitation. The timeline follows his 1905 moving-bodies paper and the final 1915 field equations. A separate entry records his signature on the 1939 letter to Roosevelt concerning nuclear research, prepared with Leo Szilard’s assistance.
His entries connect new descriptions of physical reality with the later political consequences of nuclear research.
Selected contributions
Selected works
Academic paper · 1905 · Historical journal article
On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
Einstein develops special relativity by reconsidering simultaneity and the measurements made by observers in uniform relative motion. The closing acknowledgment credits Michele Besso for assistance and suggestions.
English reproduction of the 1905 German paper; linked translation is not the original typeset edition.
Reading scope & citation
Reused prior inspected evidence: Supporting opening, simultaneity and acknowledgment passages read; calculations not independently reproduced. Heading gives June 30 but year used to avoid conflating submission and publication.
Academic paper · 1915 · Historical academy communication
The Field Equations of Gravitation
This short communication states the gravitational field equations connecting spacetime geometry with matter. It is a primary source for the final November formulation of general relativity.
English Wikisource translation of the 1915 German communication; original German not rechecked.
Reading scope & citation
Reused prior inspected evidence: English translation’s supporting paragraphs and displayed equations read; original German and full mathematical derivation not audited.
In the timeline
Documented connections
Documented · acknowledged assistance
Einstein explicitly acknowledged Michele Besso’s assistance and valuable suggestions in the special-relativity paper.
An acknowledgment establishes credited assistance, not co-authorship or a quantified division of intellectual credit.
Read the relationship record →Biography sources & portrait credit
- Timeline of Events: 1938–1950 ↗Department of Energy
- On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies ↗Annalen der Physik; English reproduction hosted by University of Pittsburgh
- The Field Equations of Gravitation ↗Prussian Academy proceedings; translation on Wikisource
Portrait credit
Oren Jack Turner. Public domain in the United States (copyright not renewed). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Photograph. Cropped to 4:5, resized to 320 × 400 and converted to WebP.
Image source & identification ↗ · Public domain in the United States (copyright not renewed) ↗
