and the other by Alpher and Herman. The Big Bang model for the origin of the universe became widely accepted, and in 1978 a Nobel Prize was awarded to Bell scientists Penzias and Wilson for their detection of the cosmic background radiation. When recalling the culmination of this series of events, Herman remarked graciously, "You don't give recognition to the person; you give it to the work."

Nevertheless, the team of Herman and Alpher were eventually recognized for their pioneering contribution. In