Kamerlingh Onnes Conference on Low‐Temperature Physics

Fifty years ago H. Kamerlingh Onnes liquefied helium at Leiden University and to commemorate this the Netherlands Physical Society, together with Leiden University and certain Dutch industries, held a conference on low‐temperature physics (June 23–28, 1958). There were more than 30 nations represented and over 300 participants, of which 100 were from the USA and three from the USSR. It was quite clear that Kamerlingh Onnes had really started something, for there were some 165 papers ranging over the topics which are unique to very low temperatures. The much coveted scientific award, The Kamerlingh Onnes Medal of the “Nederlandse Vereniging voor Koeltechniek”, was presented to S. C. Collins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became the third recipient of this honor, the other two being Peter Kapitza and the late Sir Francis Simon

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