Before Einstein there was Newtonian physics which did not consider the speed of light and its effect on a body in motion and Einstein with his theory of relativity defin â¦ ed the effect of speed of a body on its weight and dimensions which brought drastic changes in atomic and quantum physics.e won the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect, and he also developed the Theory of Relativity. His contributions amounted to a radical change in world view. Before Einstein, certain things were simply assumed to be true.