I have previously used special relativity as an example to the opposite. It seems to me that the Michelson-Morley experiment laid the groundwork and all alternatives were more or less rejected by the time special relativity was formulated. This could be hindsight bias though.
If nobel prizes are any indicator, then the photoelectric effect is probably more counterfactually impactful than special relativity.
I have previously used special relativity as an example to the opposite. It seems to me that the Michelson-Morley experiment laid the groundwork and all alternatives were more or less rejected by the time special relativity was formulated. This could be hindsight bias though.
If nobel prizes are any indicator, then the photoelectric effect is probably more counterfactually impactful than special relativity.