Hermann Minkowski and the special theory of relativity

Abstract The special theory of relativity as we understand it today owes much to the figure of Hermann Minkowski. His are several fundamental concepts that appear in current textbooks. However, his contributions are not always recognized. Furthermore, some historians of science judge him with a certain severity, undermining the importance of his contributions. He himself provoked this attitude to some extent by arguing in his articles that mathematicians were in a better position than physicists to understand the new theory. This article is devoted to the figure of Minkowski in two aspects. On the one hand, we analyze the status of Minkowski’s original ideas in the special theory of relativity as currently studied and taught. We show that some textbooks of reference in physics do not properly acknowledge the contributions of Minkowski. On the other hand, we will illustrate with some examples how the figure of Minkowski is perceived by historians. We see that even today he has his supporters and detractors.