The early years

THE YEARS 1925 TO 1929 were great years in physics. They saw the development of the quantum theory: the Schrödinger equation, the Dirac equation, field theory and quantum electrodynamics. That it was so completely a European effort illustrates the weakness and provincialism of theoretical physics in the United States at the time. Within fifteen years the situation was drastically changed and American theoretical physics was becoming comparable to the best. A very important element in this change was the influence of Robert Oppenheimer. The alumni of the great school of theoretical physics he established at Berkeley played a large part in the subsequent growth of American physics and also in enabling us to meet the demands of the war years.