2015 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technology (IYL2015). By proclaiming the IYL2015, the United Nations, together with 100 partners over 85 countries, is recognising the importance of light and light based technology in the lives of the citizens of the world and for the future development of global society on many levels.

2015 also coincides with the anniversaries of a series of milestones in the history of the science of light that are celebrated during the year: 1000 years of “The book Of Optics” by Ibn Al Haytham (1015), 200 years of the Wavelength’s Theory of Light by Fresnel (1815), 150 years of the Electromagnetic Theory of Light by Maxwell (1865), 100 years of General Relativity by Einstein (1915), 60 years of the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background by Penzias & Wilson and the implementation of Fibre Optics in communication by Charles Kao (1965).

Source: The Open University www.open.ac.uk