This timeline describes the major developments, both experimental and theoretical, of: * Einstein’s special theory of relativity (SR), * its predecessors like the theories of luminiferous aether, * its early competitors, i.e.: * Ritz’s ballistic theory of light, * the models of electromagnetic mass created by Abraham (1902), Lorentz (1904), Bucherer (1904) and Langevin (1904). This list also mentions the origins of standard notation (like c) and terminology (like theory of relavity).