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What are the modern marvels in Physics which are crazy but true? Ideas which are ridiculed and dismissed in the beginning but passed the test of time?

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Suggested an edit that might save the question, also check my comment on Martin's answer for more insight. Still, it might get too specific in time OR turn into a long list of answers. – Tom Wijsman Mar 13 '11 at 10:09
Some nonconstructive comments removed. It appear the OP is back but has lost control of the account that posted this question. If so, please flag for a moderator and tell us the UserID of you new account so that they can be merged. – dmckee♦ Sep 2 '11 at 17:48

closed as not constructive by Marek, dmckee♦, mbq♦ Mar 13 '11 at 20:18

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3 Answers

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Just about all of them?

From the Earth going around the sun through to relativity and quantum mechanics

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Please note that most of your answer is invalidated by the last sentence of the question. But well, then the question is where to draw the line and then it gets to be about a specific moment or time or would still result in a list post. I think that he is not clear in his wordings, he is looking at crazy things that the begginner to average Physician doesn't know about... – Tom Wijsman Mar 13 '11 at 10:08
I think relativity and QM have stood the test of time, for nearly 100years they have stood up against every experiment and have provided testable predictions - you can't ask for more – Martin Beckett Mar 13 '11 at 18:37
That's not what my comment is about, it's about "all of them" and the "earth going around the sun". ;-) – Tom Wijsman Mar 13 '11 at 19:57
@TomWij--copernicus didn't publish until after his death precisely becuase he feared persecution for his argument. Galileo was put under house arrest. How on Earth is that not being 'ridiculed' for your belief? – Jerry Schirmer Mar 13 '11 at 21:07
Bruno got really burned up about it! Although to be fair both Galileo and Bruno really ran into power politics rather than simple religion vs science – Martin Beckett Mar 15 '11 at 6:00
up vote 1 down vote

Einstiens theory of relativity was at first considered ridiculous now it is widely accepted

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2  
Any references for this? – Marek Mar 13 '11 at 12:32
@Marek: Well, the reason his Nobel Prize was for the photoelectric effect was because Special Relativity was still considered too controversial at the time. – Jerry Schirmer Mar 13 '11 at 21:08
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@Jerry: controversial perhaps (although I'd like to see a reference for this too) but ridiculous? – Marek Mar 13 '11 at 23:18
Time changes when you are moving! Thats not ridiculous – Martin Beckett Mar 14 '11 at 1:10
up vote 0 down vote

Relativity and Quantum Theory. That whole division of the waters thing, of the infinite and infinitesimal, leaving our everyday world of beer and sandwiches in the middle. But I still don't understand mass, or gravity or momentum. Cataclysm Theory and Continental Drift. Loads of stuff. Some of the replies seem a bit shirty, but I'm glad to have found this blog. After all, we have a vicar in every parish and most of them willing to discuss theology; its high time science/scepticism offered the same. I promise not to ask about flying saucers or quantum wormholes, well maybe quantum wormholes...

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+1 Because the downvoter didn't leave a reason. – Tom Wijsman Mar 13 '11 at 19:58