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"A Christmas Carol" is published
In 1843, Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" is published. The story features elements of time travel, as Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character, is transported into the past and future in the story. -
"The Time Machine" is published
In 1895, "The Time Machine" is published. It becomes one of the first major novels to discuss time travel and time machines in the plot. -
Special relativity is hypothesized
In 1905, Albert Einstein formalized his theory of special relativity, which introduced time dilation to modern physics. -
Grandfather paradox is theorized
By 1931, the grandfather paradox, asking what would happen if you went back in time and killed you grandfather, had been theorized and noted as a possible paradox arising from time travel. -
"Wormhole" is first coined
In 1957, physicist John Wheeler coins the term "wormhole" for holes in spacetime that connect different parts of spacetime together and can possibly be used for time travel. Although it is highly theoretical, if they exist, they could allow travel to both the past and the future. -
Many worlds interpretation is stated
In 1957, Hugh Everett III stated the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics, which asserts that all possible universes exist simultaneously, or that there are infinite parallel universes. Although the theory was almost universally ignored at the time, it rose to significance in the '70s after it was written about extensively, and today is seen as a major, legitimate theory. -
Tipler cylinder is hypothesized
In 1974, Frank Tipler introduced the concept of the Tipler cylinder, an infinitely long cylinder that, if spun fast enough, could be used as a method of time travel. -
"Back To The Future" is released
In 1985, Back To The Future is released. The film, the plot of which is heavily based on time travel, becomes a hit, grossing over 381 million dollars and becoming the highest grossing film of 1985. -
Alcubierre drive hypothesized
In 1994, Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre hypothesized the theoretical Alcubierre drive as a way to travel through time using exotic matter. -
White–Juday warp-field interferometer experiment takes place
In 2013, findings of the White–Juday warp-field interferometer experiment were published. This experiment was carried out in the hopes that the findings would give insight on building an Alcubierre drive. The experiment's main goal was to detect warping in spacetime. The results were inconclusive.
