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The first Solvay Conference on Physics was a historic event that brought together some of the most brilliant minds of the early 20th century to discuss the new and puzzling phenomena of radiation and quantum theory. It was held in Brussels, Belgium, from October 30 to November 3, 1911, at the initiative of the Belgian chemist and industrialist Ernest Solvay, who generously funded the conference and invited 18 eminent physicists from different countries. The conference was chaired by Hendrik Lorentz, a Dutch physicist who had made important contributions to electromagnetism and relativity. Among the participants were Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford, Max Planck, Paul Langevin, Henri Poincaré, and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. The Conference: The main topic of the conference was the nature of radiation and the quantum hypothesis, which proposed that energy was not continuous but discrete and came in packets called quanta. This hypothesis had been introduced by Planck in 1900 to explain the spectrum of black-body radiation, and had been supported by Einstein in 1905 to explain the photoelectric effect. However, it contradicted the classical physics of Newton and Maxwell, which assumed that energy was continuous and smooth. The conference aimed to reconcile these two approaches and to understand the implications of the quantum hypothesis for physics. The conference was organized as a series of lectures followed by discussions. The lectures covered various aspects of radiation and quantum theory, such as • the thermodynamics of radiation, • the specific heat of solids, • the emission and absorption of light, • the structure of atoms, and • the properties of matter at low temperatures. The discussions were lively and sometimes heated, as different views and interpretations were expressed and debated. Some of the highlights of the conference were: Einstein’s presentation of his light quantum hypothesis, which suggested that light was composed of particles (later called photons) that behaved like both waves and particles. He also proposed a formula for the energy distribution of black-body radiation that agreed with Planck’s formula but derived it from a different perspective. Rutherford’s presentation of his nuclear model of the atom, which he had discovered earlier that year by bombarding gold foil with alpha particles. He showed that most of the mass and positive charge of an atom was concentrated in a tiny nucleus at its center, surrounded by a cloud of electrons. Kamerlingh Onnes’ presentation of his experiments on superconductivity, which he had discovered in 1911 by cooling mercury to near absolute zero. He showed that the electrical resistance of mercury vanished completely below a certain critical temperature, indicating a new state of matter. Curie’s presentation of her research on radioactivity, which she had pioneered with her late husband Pierre Curie. She explained how some elements spontaneously emitted radiation and transformed into other elements, releasing large amounts of energy in the process. The first Solvay Conference on Physics was a remarkable achievement that stimulated further research and collaboration among physicists. It also marked the beginning of a series of Solvay Conferences that continued to be held every few years until today, covering various topics in physics and chemistry. The conference is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientific meetings ever held, as it witnessed the birth of modern physics. [Photo Courtesy: Couprie/Hulton Archive/Getty Images]