The world without Albert Einstein

[Night Runner]

I like to imagine parallel histories - the what-if scenarios that would have changed the entire world with just one well-timed action. (I'm the kind of person that would be banned from using time machines haha.) I've just thought of one that's more intriguing than most of the others I've conceived.

What if Albert Einstein was never born? Would somebody else come up with the theory of relativity? If so, how long would that take and how far back would that set the physics as we know it? Would that affect the development of nuclear weapons? If so, how would that change the outcome of the Second World War and the events that followed?

Discuss. :smart:

[Pandemonium]

There were many other scientists at the time working on nuclear physics. It was a group of scientist trying to make an atom of greater mass by bombarding the nucleus of an uranium atom with neutrons. The results from their experiments were not of those of atoms of greater mass but atoms of less mass. The overall matter conservation equations showed that there was a net loss. These people would have eventually stumbled across e=m(c^2). Subsequently, from their experiments they accidental accidentally proved Albert's theorem correct.

His other theories of relativity were unique because they could not precisely test the theory apart from eclipses. I am unaware of anybody else working on similar theories at the time.

[Mogura]

The theories would still be "discovered", and humanity would figure out some other clever way to destroy itself...

At least Einstein brought an element of humor, charm, class, and philosphy and reflection to his work...

[phej]

His other theories of relativity were unique because they could not precisely test the theory apart from eclipses. I am unaware of anybody else working on similar theories at the time.

There were lots of people working with relativity and the ether. It's been awhile since I've looked at any physics. Poincaré comes to mind. But, the wikipedia has a good survey:

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[Ither]

Look at this as the mirror image of the steam engine. Invented in Roman times, it got nowhere. Insofar as the physics of the late nineteenth century necessitated a reassessment of Newtonian mechanics, this would have happened sooner or later with or without Einstein.

[Freedom Geek]

Someone would have probably come up with all his stuff, we'd probably just be slightly less advanced then we are now.
Of course unpredictable changes abound.