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One of the
most obvious uses of relativity is by the nuclear reactor which
is used in nuclear power plants to generate much of the world's
electrical power by employing 
to convert mass into usable energy. The atom bomb uses this same
concept to instantaneously create massive amounts of energy from
a very small amount of matter.
It is very
useful to physicists. Relativity nicely explains some odd questions
in physics, such as how the detection of muons on Earth is possible,
since (as we observe it) muons must travel great distances. After
all, they only have a lifetime of about 2.2 microseconds and should
decay after about 700 meters. Relativity says that because of its
high velocity the muon's time slows down as observed by us so that
to the muon the distance it must travel is significantly shorter.
Relativity
is also useful to cosmologists to explain how our universe came
to be, and what the ultimate fate of our universe will be.
It's possible
that relativity will become a more important part of our lives as
technology advances. Physicists debate whether we will ever travel
through time. If so, relativity might be intrinsic in the development
of the home time machine. Also, travel to distant galaxies would
be greatly aided by the theory. You can get to the nearest star
in a decent amount of time (for you) but time on Earth will have
gone by much quicker, and all your Earth friends will have long
since passed by the time you get back.
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