Brief History of Time travel

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME TRAVEL

1895

H.G. Wells’s novel The Time Machine popularizes the idea of time as the fourth dimension, through which it might be possible to travel by analogy with the three spatial dimensions.

1905

Einstein’s groundbreaking paper on the theory of relativity introduces the idea of time dilation—the first hint that, in real physics as well as sci-fi, time might be interchangeable with space.

1927

The physicist Arthur Eddington first introduces the concept of the ‘arrow of time’, and its relation to entropy, in his book titled The Nature Of The Physical World.

1935

Together with Nathan Rosen, Einstein shows that under certain circumstances it’s possible to have a shortcut between two different points in spacetime—a wormhole—even between past and future.

1941

Two American experimenters, Herbert Ives and G.R. Stilwell, confirm the reality of time dilation by observing fast-moving particles inside a TV-style cathode ray tube.

1974

Physicist Frank Tipler designs the first real time machine (on paper at least). According to the design, a Tipler cylinder would use a string of rotating neutron stars to produce a closed timelike curve

1992

Stephen Hawking suggests that there might be an undiscovered law of nature that prevents closed timelike curves, therefore preventing time travel into the past from occurring.

2009

Stephen Hawking holds a party for time travelers, which is widely publicised—but only after it has taken place. Unfortunately, no time travelers turn up to the party.