A Golden Anniversary: 50 Years of Superconductivity at MT

It has now been 50 years since the first Magnet Technology Conference at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, USA. This review traces the development of superconducting magnet technology, as reported at MT, from a minority interest at the first MT to the dominant topic now. We start with the “big science” areas of accelerators and fusion and then move on to the commercial areas of NMR and MRI, finishing with some engineering activities in the areas of transportation, magnetic separation, and electric power.