Timeline of theoretical physics

17th century

1687 - Newton: Laws of Motion and Law of Gravity

18th century

1782 ? - Lavoisier: Conservation of matter

1785 - Coulomb: Inverse-square law for electric charges confirmed

19th century

1801 - Young: Wave theory of light

1803 - Dalton: Atomic theory of matter

1806 - Young: Kinetic energy

1814 - Fresnel: Wave theory of light, interference

1820 - Ampère, Biot, & Savart: Evidence for electromagnetic interactions

1824 - Sadi Carnot: Ideal gas cycle analysis, internal combustion engine

1827 - Ohm: Electrical resistance, etc.

1838 - Michael Faraday: Lines of force, Fields

1838 - Weber: Earth's magnetic field

1842-43 - Kelvin & Mayer: Conservation of energy

1842 - Kelvin: Doppler effect

1845 - Faraday: Faraday Rotation (light and electromagnetic)

1847 - Helmholtz & Joule: Conservation of Energy 2

1850-51 - Kelvin & Clausius: Second law of thermodynamics

1857-59 - Clausius & Maxwell: Kinetic theory

1861 - Kirchhoff: Black body

1863 - Clausius: Entropy

1864 - Maxwell: Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field

1867 - Maxwell: Dynamic theory of gases

1871-89 - Boltzmann & Gibbs: Statistical mechanics

1884 - Boltzmann derives Stefan radiation law

1887 - Hertz: Electromagnetic waves

1893 - Wien: Radiation law

1895 - Röntgen: X-rays

1896 - Becquerel: Radioactivity

1897 - Thomson: Electron

20th century

1900 - Planck: Formula for black-body radiation

1905 - Einstein: Special relativity, Photoelectric effect & Brownian motion

1911 - Rutherford: Discovery of the atomic nucleus, Kamerlingh Onnes: Superconductivity & equivalence principle

1913 - Bohr: Bohr model of the atom

1916 - Einstein: General relativity

1919 - Light Bending confirmed

1922 - Friedmann proposes expanding universe

1923 - Stern–Gerlach experiment, Matter waves, galaxies & particle nature of photons confirmed

1925-27 - Quantum mechanics

1925 - Stellar structure understood

1927 - Lemaître: Big Bang

1928 - Dirac: Antimatter predicted

1929 - Hubble: Expansion of universe confirmed

1932 - Anderson: Antimatter discovered & Chadwick: Neutron discovered

1933 - Invention of the electron microscope by Ernst Ruska

1937 - Muon discovered by Anderson & Neddermeyer

1938 - Superfluidity discovered & Energy production in stars understood

1939 - Uranium fission discoveredo

1944 - Theory of magnetism in 2D: Ising model

1947 - Pion discovered

1948 - Quantum electrodynamics

1948 - Invention of the maser and laser by Charles Townes

1956 - Electron neutrino discovered

1956-57 - 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 - Murray Gell-Mann & George Zweig: Quarks predicted

1967 - Unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions, Solar neutrino Problem found & Pulsars (neutron stars) discovered

1968 - Experimental evidence for quarks found

1968 - Vera Rubin: Dark matter theories

1970-73 - Standard Model of elementary particles invented

1971 - Helium 3 Superfluidity

1974 - Black hole radiation predicted, renormalization group & charmed quark found

1975 - Tau lepton found

1977 - Bottom quark found

1980 - Quantum Hall effect

1981 - Theory of Cosmic Inflation proposed

1982 - Fractional quantum Hall effect

1995 - Wolfgang Ketterle: Bose–Einstein condensate found

1995 - Top quark found

1998 - Accelerating expansion of Universe found

1999 - Lene Vestergaard Hau: Slow light experimentally demonstrated

21st century

2000 - Tau neutrino found

2003 - WMAP Observations of cosmic microwave background

2012 - Higgs boson found

2014 - Gravitational waves detected from Cosmic microwave background