Under contract from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Universities Research Associates (URA) incorporates to build and operate a new national accelerator laboratory.
December 16, 1966
The AEC chooses a site 30 miles west of Chicago.
March 1, 1967
URA appoints Robert Wilson Fermilab's first director.
June 15, 1967
Operations begin at Oak Brook, Illinois.
November 21, 1967
President Lyndon Johnson signs bill authorizing the National Accelerator Laboratory
December 1, 1968
Groundbreaking for Linac.
October 3, 1969
Groundbreaking for Main Ring.
March 1, 1972
First 200 GeV proton beam passes through Main Ring.
December 14, 1972
Main Ring energy doubled to 400 GeV.
May 11, 1974
NAL renamed ìFermi National Accelerator Laboratory.î
May-June 1977
Fermilab experiementers announce discovery of bottom quark.
October 19, 1978
Leon Lederman appointed director.
August 16, 1983
Groundbreaking for Antiproton Source.
February 16, 1984
Acceleration of Tevatron beam to 800 GeV.
October 13, 1985
First observation of proton-antiproton collisions by CDF collider detector at 1.6 TeV center-of-mass energy.
October 21, 1986
Acceleration of Tevatron beam to 900 GeV.
November 30, 1986
First proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV.
April 20, 1989
John Peoples appointed director.
February 14, 1992
DZero collider detector commissioned.
September 25, 1992
Dedication of Lederman Science Education Center.
March 22, 1993
Groundbreaking for Main Injector accelerator.
September 4, 1993
New 400 MeV Linac commissioned.
April 26, 1994
Announcement of first direct evidence for top quark.
February 2, 1995
Tevatron sets new world record for number of high-energy proton-antiproton particle collisions.
March 3, 1995
Fermilab experimenters announce discovery of top quark.
August 5, 1997
Fermilab extracted a record intensity 800 GeV beam for fixed target experimentsó2.86E13.
March 1998
Discovery of Bc Meson.
February 24, 1999
Observation of direct CP violation, in neutral Kaons.