The Solvay conference in October 1927, almost exactly 90 years ago,
is arguably the most famous physics conference of all time. The topic was “Electrons
and Photons” and the newly developed quantum theory.
In this talk I will discuss how the development of quantum theory
was awarded in terms of Nobel Prizes in physics in 1929, 1932, 1933,
1945 and 1954. The talk will be based on nomination letters, expert
reports and discussions within the Nobel Committee. The material is
taken from the Nobel Archive of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.