Science | gravitational waves 4 Reactions to the Gravitational Waves Discovery 'I'm delighted' By Michael Harthorne Posted Feb 11, 2016 3:32 PM CST Copied Scientists confirmed the existence of gravitational waves on Thursday, 100 years after they were first predicted by Albert Einstein. (AP Photo/File) After weeks of speculation, a team of LIGO scientists announced the long-awaited discovery of gravitational waves on Thursday. The discovery confirms a portion of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity 100 years after he first predicted gravitational waves. A lot of people were understandably excited. Here are some of the reactions collected by Popular Science: "It's inspiring to think about all the lives and effort, generation after generation, that have gone into uncovering this insight about our universe," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg posted on the social media site. "Congratulations to everyone who helped make this happen. You've made Einstein proud." "I'm delighted," Neil deGrasse Tyson told a PopSci reporter. "My congratulations to the LIGO team on their discovery of gravitational waves," Stephen Hawking posted on Facebook. "It is thrilling to see predictions I made over 40 years ago such as the black hole area and uniqueness theorems being observed within my lifetime." "If Einstein were alive, he'd totally do a mic drop after today's #LIGO conference on #gravitationalwaves," tweeted representatives of the famous scientist's estate. Read These Next A former NFL Pro Bowler has died at age 36. The massive AWS failure exposed a big problem with the internet. Backlash for Trump nominee who said he has 'a Nazi streak.' A man ended up dead after trying to steal from Spirit Halloween. Report an error