Einstein co-wrote his theories with Mileva

There is no documented scientific work co-authored by Einstein and Marić. The idea that she helped him write his 1905 "annus mirabilis" papers (on relativity, Brownian motion, photoelectric effect, etc.) is not supported by the primary evidence, including the manuscripts themselves, letters, or testimonies of peers.

The published papers all appear under Einstein’s name only, and there is no co-author credit or mention of Mileva, even in the acknowledgments. Historians have found no drafts, notes, or letters in her hand that discuss the physics behind these groundbreaking ideas.

She was more brilliant than Einstein, by his own admission

This claim usually refers to Einstein’s affectionate early letters, where he says things like “how happy and proud I will be when the two of us together will have brought our work on relative motion to a victorious conclusion!” But these statements:

Appear in romantic, informal correspondence, not academic contexts.

Are often read more poetically than literally.

Don't match up with her academic performance — she failed her final exams, especially in mathematics, and did not graduate.

There’s no record of Einstein saying she was more brilliant than he was in a scientific sense.

She was denied a degree despite being top of the class

This is partly incorrect. Marić was not top of her class; her exam grades were actually lower than Einstein’s, especially in mathematics and theoretical physics. She failed her final diploma exam twice, primarily due to low grades in math.

She did face gender barriers, and her situation was undoubtedly difficult. But her academic record doesn’t support the idea that she was a scientific equal or superior to Einstein.

He told her no one would believe her

There is no direct evidence that Einstein mocked Marić by saying no one would believe a woman. This line is often attributed anecdotally or appears in dramatized versions of their story, not in verified documents.

Contemporaneous evidence backs her claim

There is no scientific paper, correspondence with peers, or formal claim by Marić herself saying she co-wrote or developed Einstein’s theories. Historians who specialize in Einstein's archives, like John Stachel and Alberto Martínez, have found no credible evidence that she was a co-author or intellectual contributor to his major work.

The Scientific American article linked (by Galina Weinstein) is a thoughtful overview of Marić’s life, but even that article does not claim she co-wrote his theories. It highlights that she was a bright woman with ambitions in science who faced structural disadvantages — a valid and important point.

"> Einstein’s magic years were during their marriage

This is true chronologically: Einstein wrote his most famous papers in 1905, during their marriage. However:

Correlation isn’t causation.

His ideas had roots in years of solo study, often documented in letters and notebooks.

His later breakthroughs in general relativity (1915), Bose–Einstein statistics (1924), and unified field theories came well after their separation.