To celebrate the 40th anniversary of ICTP, Highlights will periodically include a description of a seminal event in the Centre's history.
8 February 1961 -- The Citizens' Committee (Comitato cittadino) asks the Italian government to nominate Trieste as Italy's candidate to serve as the 'seat' of the proposed international physics centre, which is to operate under the administrative umbrella of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. Trieste's mayor, Mario Franzil, forms the committee, which consists of prominent citizens in government, commerce, education and industry, to promote the city's efforts to host the centre. Other cities vying for the chance to host the IAEA's physics centre include Copenhagen, Dubrovnik, Lahore and Vienna. Thanks largely to the dedication of Trieste's citizenry and a generous funding offer by the Italian government, the IAEA formally announces that it has chosen Trieste as the site in June 1963.