1905 was an amazing year for Einstein and physics; Wikipedia puts it better than I can (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_Mirabilis_Papers" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_Mirabilis_Papers</a>):<p>The Annus Mirabilis papers (from Latin annus mīrābilis, "extraordinary year") are the papers of Albert Einstein published in the Annalen der Physik scientific journal in 1905. These four articles contributed substantially to the foundation of modern physics and changed views on space, time, and matter. The Annus Mirabilis is often called the "Miracle Year" in English or Wunderjahr in German.