Albert Einstein's work in 1917 laid the theoretical foundations for lasers by proposing stimulated emission. In the 1950s, Charles Townes developed the maser, which amplified microwaves using the same principles. In 1960, Theodore Maiman constructed the first laser, using a flashlamp-pumped ruby crystal. This launched major advances in laser technology over the following decades, including gas lasers and laser diodes that emitted different wavelengths of light. Today, lasers have a wide variety of applications and continue to be an area of active research and development.