1991- Carbon nanotubes were discovered by Sumio Iijima of Japan. These exceptionally long thin tubes of pure carbon, only 10 nanometers across, turned out to have extraordinary properties, being stronger material-wise than virtually any other known material.
1996- Smalley won the Nobel Prize for discovering a new form of carbon: a molecule of sixty carbon atoms. This new super carbon became one of the building blocks for nano-sized products including "smart" bombs for pharmaceutical uses, electronic devices, and high performance bulk materials.
2001-"Scientific American" devoted an entire publication issue (Sept. 2001) that focused on nanotechnology.