School of Physics Colloquium

I will review the growth of quantum physics from its inception in the beginning of the 20th century to its maturity 50 years later. My narrative includes dramatic stories of the quantum pioneers between two wars. Caught between two evil regimes –– those of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (known as Nazis) and the SU Communist Party (known as Bolsheviks) –– they had to make difficult choices in pursuing their scientific goals and aspirations.