The United Nations (UN) General Assembly 68th Session proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015).
The International Year of Light is a global initiative which will highlight to the citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives, for their futures, and for the development of society. It is an unique opportunity to inspire, educate, and connect on a global scale.
IYL 2015 programs will promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2015—from the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today.
The year 2015 was chosen as the International Year of light because just this year we celebrate the "round" anniversaries of several very important events related to light:
1,000 years since the release of "Book of Optics" in 1015 (Ibn Al Haytham)
200 years since the discovery of the wave nature of light in 1815 (Augustin Fresnel)
150 years since the foundation of electromagnetic theory in 1865 (James Clerk Maxwell)
100 years since the foundation of the theory of general relativity involving light in space and time 1915 (Albert Einstein)
50 years since the discovery of fiber optic technology in 1965 (Charles Kuen Kao)
