Plans for a new accelerator laboratory began in April 1963. Subsequent Aprils brought the completion of the Central Laboratory Building and the installation of the final Main Ring magnet.
Valerie Higgins
Valerie Higgins is the Fermilab archivist.
On March 1, 1972, the accelerator reached its 200-GeV design energy.
In March, Fermilab saw the installation of its final Tevatron magnet, the start of MINOS and Tevatron Run II operations, and the groundbreaking for the Main Injector. Read on for more March milestones.
On February 28, 1967, Robert R. Wilson became the director of the National Accelerator Laboratory.
As we enter the second month of Fermilab’s 50th year, we look back on Robert Wilson assuming the lab’s first directorship and revisit the lab’s first experiment, along with other memorable milestones.
Fermilab’s beginnings can be traced to a 1963 report by a panel of U.S. scientists led by Norman Ramsey. In the 50 years since, Fermilab has grown to a laboratory of 1,800 employees, and scientists from 44 countries come to Fermilab to participate in its forefront particle physics programs.
As part of our year-long recognition of Fermilab’s 50th anniversary, we will feature a few important milestones in the laboratory’s history every month.
Fifty years ago, on Dec. 16, 1966, the Atomic Energy Commission announced the selection of Weston, Illinois, as the site for Fermilab, then called the National Accelerator Laboratory.