Science & technology | From the archives

The relative importance of Mrs Einstein

On November 25th, 1915, Albert Einstein presented his general theory of relativity, which was published on December 2nd. To mark these dates, we are highlighting stories from The Economist's archive showing how the theory, and the man behind it, were received. Here, we consider how his first wife may have contributed.

WHILE developing the theory of special relativity in the years around 1905, Albert Einstein lived and worked with a fellow student who became his first wife. The late Mileva Einstein-Maric now has a small band of supporters who argue that she should get some—maybe most—of the credit for that work.

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