The photoelectric effect and special relativity were "in the air," so to speak, the elements were there, others were closing in, and had Einstein not published

The photoelectric effect and special relativity were "in the air," so to speak, the elements were there, others were closing in, and had Einstein not published when he did, someone else would have within 5 years or less. But general relativity, experts have estimated, would have taken far longer. But would it have really have only appeared decades later if not for Einstein? Was it pure Einstein, as if some loner maverick that worked it all out all by himself completely in isolation? I'm not sure why anyone would believe that... legend, because the legend was notoriously weak in math. Rarely does anyone remember Einstein's friend, mathematician Marcel Grossman, who "facilitated Einstein's unique synthesis of mathematical and theoretical physics in... the general theory of relativity."[1] Believe me, I am also in awe of Einstein's remarkable insight. But what I am saying is he was and probably still is more famous than The Beatles for publishing a theory, and, granted, a theory that has held up to all scrutiny, yet the only practical application (I'm aware of) is GPS (which is really great, but it isn't Something or whatever, The Long and Winding Road, etc.) We can wax poetic about how there is art in science, but Einstein's work is not really art, its definitely theoretical physics. Technically, Cosmos was art, and we did sing his songs, though getting the lyrics wrong with "billons and billions." I'm not sure Sagan compares to Einstein, it's just my original objection, that the fame attached to the person is entirely non-proportional to the work (how ever much) or its importance (how ever great). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Grossmann#Collaborations_with_Albert_Einstein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Grossmann#Collaboration...