Discovery of quasicrystals. Meeting in 1985 at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology), following the publication of the discovery of quasicrystals (molecular model on table). This discovery was made by Israeli materials scientist Dan Shechtman (left, born 1941). Quasicrystals are ordered but not periodic. This discovery was controversial at the time, but eventually saw Shechtman awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In the 1980s, Shechtman spent several years working in the USA. Here, he is with fellow scientists from the NBS and Johns Hopkins University. Standing at upper centre is US materials scientist and leading NBS researcher John Cahn (1928-2016). Seated, from left to right, are: Frank Biancaniello (NBS), Denis Gratias (National Science Research Centre, France), Leonid Bendersky (Johns Hopkins), and Robert Schaefer (NBS).