100 years of Einstein Miraculous visions Dec 29th 2004 From The Economist print edition A century after Einstein's miracle year, most people still do not understand exactly what it was he did. Here, we attempt to elucidate IN THE span of 18 months, Isaac Newton invented calculus, constructed a theory of optics, explained how gravity works and discovered his laws of motion. As a result, 1665 and the early months of 1666 are termed his annus mirabilis. It was a sustained sprint of intellectual achievement that no one thought could ever be equalled. But in a span of a...