2014 InternatIonal Year of CrYstallograph Y: BIrth and ImpaCt of X-raY CrYstallograph Y

The United Nations have declared 2014 International Year of Crystallography to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize to Max von Laue for his discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals. Following this important recognition the International Union of Crystallography, together with UNESCO, has launched an intense program of events and initiatives all over the world to promote the knowledge and image of this important science, not only within the scientific community, but also with the general public. I am therefore grateful to the Societa Italiana di Fisica for offering this opportunity to present a historical account of the early steps of X-ray crystallography and of the impact of this discovery on several other branches of science*.