On This Day In History: Albert Einstein Publishes His General Theory Of Relativity – On Mar 20, 1916

AncientPages.com - On March 20, 1916, Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) submitted his "Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" for publication in the journal Annals of Physics' (Annelen Der Physik), one of the oldest scientific journals on physics and has been published since 1799.

Albert Einstein, 1921. Image credit: Ferdinand Schmutzer - Public Domain

Einstein was one of the fathers of the atomic age. He was one of the most outstanding scientists of all time.

Earlier in November, he had presented the final version of his theory to the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences.

This paper showed how the theory demonstrated the relativity of time, a previously unimaginable idea. Einstein advanced the theory of relativity when he was only 26 years old.

Einstein's relativity theory revolutionized scientific thought with new conceptions of time, space, mass, motion, and gravitation.

His famous equation E=mc² (energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared) became the foundation stone in the development of atomic energy.

The theory of general relativity is considered one of history's most significant intellectual achievements.

Scientists have been working to prove Einstein's conclusions ever since; the final piece of the puzzle fell into place in February 2016, when scientists confirmed the detection of gravitational waves.

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