Olinto De Pretto, an industrialist from Vicenza, published the equation 
E=mc2 in a scientific magazine, Atte, in 1903, and a Swiss Italian 
named Michele Besso alerted Einstein to the research, and in 1905 
Einstein published his own work.

It troubles me that Prof. Robertson dismisses, and excuses Einstein's
failure to reference or attribute. Scholars are excoriated for "using"  a 
mere paragraph's without proper attribution. This was a COMPLETE Formula! 

The appropriate Scholarly Association should rectify this error.
Einstien can still claim The Theory of Relativity.

Please do not be misled by the reference of 2-5-2, which some might construe 
as February 5, 2002. It was published November 11, 1999, under the title    
"Einstein's E=mc2 'was Italian's idea' "
==============================================
ITALIAN PUBLISHED E=mc2 
TWO YEARS BEFORE EINSTEIN
By Rory Carroll in Rome
The Guardian - London
2-5-2

The mathematical equation that ushered in the atomic age was
discovered by an unknown Italian dilettante two years before Albert
Einstein used it in developing the theory of relativity, it was claimed
yesterday.

Olinto De Pretto, an industrialist from Vicenza, published the
equation E=mc2 in a scientific magazine, Atte, in 1903, said Umberto 
Bartocci, a mathematical historian.

Einstein allegedly used De Pretto's insight in a major paper published 
in 1905, but De Pretto was never acclaimed, said Professor Bartocci 
of the University of Perugia.

De Pretto had stumbled on the equation, but not the theory of relativity, 
while speculating about ether in the life of the universe, said Prof 
Bartocci. 
It was republished in 1904 by Veneto's Royal Science Institute, but the 
equation's significance was not understood.

A Swiss Italian named Michele Besso alerted Einstein to the research
and in 1905 Einstein published his own work, said Prof Bartocci. It
took years for his breakthrough to be grasped. When the penny finally
dropped, De Pretto's contribution was overlooked while Einstein went
on to become the century's most famous scientist. De Pretto died in
1921.

"De Pretto did not discover relativity but there is no doubt that he was
the first to use the equation. That is hugely significant. I also believe,
though it's impossible to prove, that Einstein used De Pretto's research," 
said Prof Bartocci, who has written a book on the subject.

Einstein's theory held that time and motion are relative to the observer
if the speed of light is constant and if all natural laws are the same. A
footnote established the equivalence of mass and energy, according to
which the energy (E) of a quantity of matter (m) is equal to the product
of the mass and the square of the velocity of light (c). Now known as:
E=mc2 .

The influence of work by other physicists on Einstein's theory is also
controversial. A German, David Hilbert, is thought by some to have
been decisive.

Edmund Robertson, professor of mathematics at St Andrew's University, 
said: "An awful lot of mathematics was done by people who have never 
been credited - Arabs in the middle ages, for example.Einstein may have 
got the idea from someone else, but ideas come from all sorts of places.

"De Pretto deserves credit if his contribution can be proven. Even so, 
it should not detract from Einstein."
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3928978,00.html