CERN's origins can be traced to the 1940s. A small number of visionary scientists in Europe and North America identified the need for Europe to have a world-class physics research facility. Their vision was both to stop the brain drain to America that had begun during the Second World War, and to provide a force for unity in post-war Europe.

CERN, international scientific organization established for the purpose of collaborative research into high-energy particle physics. Founded in 1954, the organization maintains its headquarters near Geneva and operates expressly for research of a “pure scientific and fundamental character.”