Timeline of fundamental physics discoveries
This table provides an overview of the scientific relevant discoveries which would have to be predicted in its entirety by a theory of everything, in order to claim itself as a success.
| Timeline of Fundamental Physics Discoveries Before 1780 | |
| 1687 | laws of motion and law of gravity, Newton |
| Timeline of Fundamental Physics Discoveries Since 1780 | |
| Advances in our knowledge of the laws of nature consisting either of experimental discoveries or theoretical proposals that were confirmed experimentally. | |
| 1780 | |
| 1782 | Conservation of matter, Lavoisier |
| 1785 | Inverse square law for electric charges confirmed, Coulomb |
| 1801 | Wave theory of light, Young |
| 1803 | Atomic theory of matter, Dalton |
| 1805 | |
| 1806 | Kinetic energy, Young |
| 1814 | Wave theory of light, interference, Fresnel |
| 1820 | Evidence for electro-magnetic interactions, Ampere, Biot, Savart |
| 1824 | Ideal gas cycle analysis, internal combustion engine, Sadi Carnot |
| 1827 | Electrical resistance, etc., Georg Ohm |
| 1830 | |
| 1838 | Lines of force, fields, Michael Faraday |
| 1838 | Earth's magnetic field, Weber |
| 1842–3 | Conservation of energy, Julius Robert Mayer, William Thomson |
| 1842 | Doppler effect, Lord Kelvin |
| 1845 | Faraday rotation (light and electromagnetic) |
| 1847 | Conservation of energy 2, Joule, Hermann von Helmholtz |
| 1850–1 | Second law of thermodynamics, Rudolf Clausius, Kelvin |
| 1855 | |
| 1857–9 | Kinetic theory, Clausius, James Clerk Maxwell |
| 1861 | Black body, Kirchhoff |
| 1863 | Entropy, Clausius |
| 1864 | A dynamical theory of the electromagnetic field, Maxwell |
| 1867 | Dynamic theory of gases, Maxwell |
| 1880 | |
| 1871–89 | Statistical mechanics, Boltzmann, Gibbs |
| 1884 | Boltzmann derives Stefan radiation law |
| 1887 | Electromagnetic waves, Hertz |
| 1893 | Wein's radiation law |
| 1895 | X-rays Wilhelm Röntgen |
| 1897 | Electron J. J. Thomson |
| 1900 | Planck formula for radiation |
| 1905 | |
| 1905 | Special relativity, Einstein Photoelectric effect, Einstein |
| 1911 | Equivalence principle Discovery of the Atomic nucleus |
| 1913 | Bohr model of the atom |
| 1916 | General relativity, Einstein |
| 1919 | Light bending confirmed |
| 1922 | Friedmann proposes expanding universe |
| 1923 | Stern-Gerlach experiment Particle nature of photons confirmed |
| 1925–7 | Quantum mechanics |
| 1925 | Stellar structure understood |
| 1927 | Big Bang proposed by Lemaitre |
| 1928 | Antimatter predicted |
| 1929 | Hubble confirms expansion of universe |
| 1930 | |
| 1932 | Antimatter confirmed Neutron discovered |
| 1933 | Dark matter found |
| 1937 | Muon discovered |
| 1938 | Superfluidity discovered Energy production in stars understood |
| 1939 | Uranium fission discovered |
| 1944 | Theory of magnetism in 2D Ising model |
| 1947 | Pion discovered |
| 1948 | Quantum electrodynamics |
| 1955 | |
| 1956 | Electron neutrino discovered |
| 1956–7 | Parity found violated |
| 1957 | Superconductivity explained |
| 1959–60 | Role of topology in quantum physics, predicted and confirmed |
| 1962 | SU(3) theory of strong interactions Muon neutrino found |
| 1963 | Quarks predicted |
| 1967 | Unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions Solar neutrino problem found |
| 1968 | Experimental evidence for quarks found |
| 1970–3 | Standard model of elementary particles invented |
| 1971 | Helium 3 superfluidity |
| 1974 | Black hole radiation predicted Charmed quark found |
| 1975 | Tau lepton found |
| 1977 | Bottom quark found |
| 1978 | Dark matter found in galaxies |
| 1980 | |
| 1980 | Quantum Hall effect |
| 1981 | Theory of cosmic inflation proposed |
| 1982 | Fractional quantum Hall effect |
| 1995 | Bose–Einstein condensate found |
| 1995 | Top quark found |
| 1998 | Dark energy discovered |
| 2000 | Tau neutrino found |
| 2003 | WMAP observations of Cosmic microwave background |
| Timeline Source: American Physical Society | |