All physicists till 1905 knew that light consists of Electro magnetic wave. But a patent office clerk in Bern, Switzerland proposed an audacious assumption.
It was 18 March, 1905 and the assumption was,
“Light Ray’s consist of a finite number of energy quanta that are localized, move without dividing, and can be absorbed or generated only as a whole.”
This single sentence which changed the character of light from an Electro Magnetic wave to particles has been called “the most ‘revolutionary’ sentence written by a physicist of the 20th century.”
It’s popularly known as the Photo- electric effect.
The clerk was none other than Albert Einstein.
The statement was so audacious that even the Nobel foundation took 16 years to acknowledge the assumption in 1921. Still In 1922 even Neils Bohr begged to differ.
The patent clerk followed it up by 3 such outlandish patents in quick succession, in 1905 itself.
2) 11 May1905-
Brownian motion – proved the reality of atom.
3) 30 June 1905-
Special theory of relativity: The speed of light is fixed.
4) 21 November 1905 –
The now famous: E= mc^2.
Any single paper can earn you a Nobel prize.
Dr Ramakanta's Ideas 