Curved Spaces
For a long time, Euclidean geometry with its proofs was regarded as an unquestionable example of absolute knowledge. Doubts about its universal validity first emerge in the nineteenth century with Gauss’ theory of curved surfaces and the spectacular construction of non-Euclidean geometries.
In 1900, the astronomer Karl Schwarzschild publishes a study on the degree to which space can be curved without astronomers noticing its effects. When Einstein presents his General Theory of Relativity in 1915, Schwarzschild is virtually the only astronomer who recognizes the importance of the theory for astronomy and collaborates on elaborating and verifying it.
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