[BeefWellington]

While it's no doubt true that he didn't have substantially more knowledge than we do now, it's important to consider that some areas he was working in have only recently come to bear similar fruit. Specifically wireless power transmission, for example, was patented by him in 1916 and only in recent years were similar effects actually put into practice on a small scale (functioning in a nearly identical way as described in the patent).

There's been plenty of times in history something has been lost or buried due to the death of the creator or societal / political pressures.

Consider the EV1 and the legal fight against California's Zero Emissions legislation, some 20 years before Tesla Motors would shake things up.

[CRConrad]

> wireless power transmission, for example, was patented by him in 1916

So what? Perpetual motion machines, and a lot of other junk that never could work, have also been patented both before and since. Not only Einstein but also a lot of idiots have worked in patent offices around the world.