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Timing of Einstein’s reading of Poincaré’s 1900 paper

Determine whether Albert Einstein read Henri Poincaré’s 1900 paper "La théorie de Lorentz et le principe de réaction" prior to composing his 1905 paper "Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper" (On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies), or only after completing his 1905 formulation of special relativity.

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Background

The paper notes that Einstein acknowledged in 1906 that certain formal considerations he used were present in Poincaré’s 1900 work, establishing that Einstein had read that paper by 1906. However, the authors emphasize that the documentary record does not resolve whether Einstein read Poincaré’s 1900 paper before or only after June 1905, when Einstein formulated special relativity.

This unresolved timing affects historiographical debates concerning influence and priority between Poincaré and Einstein. If Einstein had read the 1900 paper before June 1905, it could suggest a line of influence; if only afterward, it supports claims of independent derivation. The lack of corroborating materials (e.g., diaries or correspondence) sustains the ambiguity.

References

In 1906, Einstein acknowledged that certain formal considerations he had employed in connection with mass–energy conservation had appeared in the Poincaré 1900 paper, while adding that he had refrained from using them directly “for the sake of clarity.” The documentary record establishes that by 1906, he had read Poincaré’s 1900 paper, but leaves unresolved whether this occurred before or only after the formulation of special relativity in 1905.

— Convergences and Divergences: Einstein, Poincaré, and Special Relativity (2509.09361 - Weinstein, 11 Sep 2025) in Section 2.1, "The Elephant in the Room"