Gordon Kane is Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. He has been a J S Guggenheim Fellow and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has been a visiting professor at Rutherford Laboratory and Oxford University, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and CERN, and has published over 140 research papers in particle theory as well as written and edited books on particle physics, both technical books and ones for the general public. M Shifman is Professor of Physics at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his PhD (1976) from the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics in Moscow he went through all stages of the academic career there. In 1990 he moved to the USA. He has published over 200 research papers in particle physics and field theory, and written and edited several books. In 1997 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has had the honor of receiving the 1999 Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics.

• The predecessors; discovery of supersymmetry in four dimensions; local supersymmetry (supergravity); the pioneers; the historical perspective.

Gordon Kane is Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. He has been a J S Guggenheim Fellow and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has been a visiting professor at Rutherford Laboratory and Oxford University, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and CERN, and has published over 140 research papers in particle theory as well as written and edited books on particle physics, both technical books and ones for the general public. M Shifman is Professor of Physics at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his PhD (1976) from the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics in Moscow he went through all stages of the academic career there. In 1990 he moved to the USA. He has published over 200 research papers in particle physics and field theory, and written and edited several books. In 1997 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has had the honor of receiving the 1999 Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics.

• The predecessors; discovery of supersymmetry in four dimensions; local supersymmetry (supergravity); the pioneers; the historical perspective.

Gordon Kane is Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. He has been a J S Guggenheim Fellow and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has been a visiting professor at Rutherford Laboratory and Oxford University, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and CERN, and has published over 140 research papers in particle theory as well as written and edited books on particle physics, both technical books and ones for the general public. M Shifman is Professor of Physics at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his PhD (1976) from the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics in Moscow he went through all stages of the academic career there. In 1990 he moved to the USA. He has published over 200 research papers in particle physics and field theory, and written and edited several books. In 1997 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He has had the honor of receiving the 1999 Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics.

• The predecessors; discovery of supersymmetry in four dimensions; local supersymmetry (supergravity); the pioneers; the historical perspective.