Final answer:
Gravitational waves were predicted over a century ago by Albert Einstein, arising from his theory of general relativity published in 1916.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gravity waves, also known as gravitational waves, were predicted by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago. This prediction came from Einstein's groundbreaking theory known as general relativity, which he published in 1916. Unlike Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, which served well in understanding and predicting the motions of celestial bodies, Einstein's theory described gravity as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass. This concept leads to the prediction that massive accelerating objects, like black holes or neutron stars orbiting each other, should create ripples in spacetime that propagate outward at the speed of light—these are the gravitational waves. The first direct detection of such waves, confirming Einstein's theory, was announced in 2015 by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations, nearly a century after the theoretical prediction.