How a 225-year-old journal shaped our understanding of the physical universe

Cultures · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Since 1799, Annalen der Physik has served as a cornerstone of scientific discovery. It famously hosted Albert Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis papers in 1905, yet its history is marked by shifting editorial identities, language transitions, and the turbulent political landscape of Germany across three centuries of rigorous physics research.

Established in 1799, Annalen der Physik stands as one of the oldest physics journals in existence. Its lineage traces back to the Journal der Physik and Neues Journal der Physik, which began publication in 1790. Throughout its long life, the journal has undergone numerous identity shifts, often being referred to by the names of its prominent editors, such as Gilberts Annalen or Poggendorfs Annalen. This tradition of naming led to a complex, often confusing system where volume numbering would restart with each new editor, existing alongside a continuous numbering sequence.

The journal’s influence reached its zenith in 1905 with the publication of Albert Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis papers, which introduced groundbreaking concepts like mass–energy equivalence and the special theory of relativity. During this era, the modern peer-review process was not yet standard; Einstein simply submitted his manuscripts to Max Planck, who then facilitated their publication. Other landmark contributions include Heinrich Hertz’s work on the photoelectric effect in 1887 and Max Planck’s 1901 paper on blackbody radiation.

The journal’s trajectory reflects the broader history of 20th-century Germany. It faced significant challenges in the 1920s as it lost ground to the competing Zeitschrift für Physik, and the 1933 emigration wave stripped it of many elite authors. Publication was suspended entirely between 1944 and 1946 due to World War II. Following the war, it operated under a unique co-editorship policy between East and West Germany until 1992. Originally a German-language publication, it transitioned to English as the sole language following German reunification, eventually being acquired by Wiley-VCH and undergoing a significant relaunch in 2012 to update its editorial scope.

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