Poincaré, Einstein, and the theory of special relativity (Q1343293)

E. T. Whittaker was the first to claim in 1953 ``that Poincaré came to the theory of special relativity before Einstein''. Whittaker's statement is wrong. It is investigated how Whittaker, being a specialist in history, came to this wrong statement. Unfortunately Whittaker's judgement was repeated by other historians as for example by Jules Leveugle who even enlarged Whittaker's argumentation at the occasion of the Poincaré Conference in Nancy in 1994. Therefore the author presents the precise historical facts which culminate in referring to the meeting of Einstein and Poincaré in 1911 at the first Solvay Conference. Einstein and Poincaré themselves saw no correspondences in their theories. In a so-called Grumpy Endnote there is mentioned the general problem occurring to historians: different editions and especially translations do not have to be identical with the original text.