The history of THEORY OF RELATIVITY consists of many theoretical results and empirical findings obtained by Hendrik Lorentz , Henry Poincare and others. It culminated in the theory of SPECIAL RELATIVITY proposed by ALBERT EINSTEIN and subsequent work of MAX PLANCK, Hermann Minkowski and others.

Although Isaac Newton based his theory on absolute space and time, he also adhered to the Principle of relativity of Galileo Galilei. This stated all observers who move uniformly relative to each other are equal and no absolute state of motion can be attributed to any observer. During the 19th century the ether theory was widely accepted, mostly in the form given by James Clerk Maxwell. According to Maxwell all optical and electrical phenomena propagate in a medium. Thus it seemed possible to determine absolute motion relative to the aether and therefore to disprove Galileo's Principle.

Those experiments and their failure lead to the development of the Maxwell-Lorentzian Electrodynamics by Hendrik Lorentz. Henri Poincaré formally completed this by stating the Relativity Principle as a general law of nature, including Electrodynamics and Gravitation. Albert Einstein eventually devised Special Relativity (SR) by completely re-interpreting Lorentzian Electrodynamics by changing the concepts of space and time and abolishing the aether. This paved the way to General Relativity. Subsequent work of Hermann Minkowski laid the foundations of Relativistic Field Theories.