The first fifty years of laser technology were celebrated with a rare firing of the first working laser at a conference in Vancouver, Canada, on 15-16 May 2010 honoring its inventor Theodore Maiman, and with other anniversary observances by the international laser community.

At Simon Fraser Univ. in Vancouver, Dan Gelbart, a Univ. of British Columbia professor and an inventor himself, had the honor of activating the ruby laser that Maiman built 50 years ago at Hughes Research Labs in Malibu, California.

Maiman's wife, Kathleen, helped organize the conference at SFU, where Maiman taught before his death in 2007. A panel of high-level speakers and other colleagues from around the world joined Kathleen Maiman in paying tribute to Maiman's vision and perseverance.

Full press release on 50th anniversary of the laser celebrations