The Solvay Conferences: Where Quantum Physics Was Born

The first Solvay Conference took place in Brussels in 1911, funded by industrialist Ernest Solvay.
It gathered leading scientists to tackle the mysteries of radiation and matter.
Famous attendees included Einstein, Curie, Planck, and Lorentz.
The 1927 Solvay Conference became legendary for debates over quantum mechanics.
Einstein and Bohr clashed fiercely, with Einstein proposing thought experiments to challenge quantum theory.
Bohr defended the new view, emphasizing probability and complementarity.
A historic group photo shows 29 attendees—17 were or became Nobel Prize winners.
The conferences symbolized the shift from classical physics to the quantum era.
They created a forum where the greatest minds refined and argued over groundbreaking ideas.
Solvay Conferences continue today, keeping alive the tradition of shaping modern physics.