# Arno Penzias German-American physicist who, with Robert Wilson, accidentally discovered [[wiki/Cosmic Microwave Background|cosmic microwave background radiation]] at [[wiki/Bell Labs|Bell Labs]] in 1964 — the remnant heat signature of the [[wiki/Big Bang|Big Bang]]. The discovery earned them the 1978 [[wiki/Nobel Prize|Nobel Prize]] in Physics and confirmed the Big Bang theory. Penzias later served as Bell Labs' chief scientist. Referenced in [[articles/Bell Labs and the Distributed Architecture of American Power|Bell Labs and the Distributed Architecture of American Power]]. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > "There are many things we don't understand, and that's what makes science exciting." > **— Arno Penzias**, *1978, Nobel banquet speech / scientific reflection* *Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Nobel banquet speech / scientific reflection, 1978.* [[reminders/unverified/There Are Many Things We Don't Understand and That's What Makes Science Exciting by Arno Penzias|There Are Many Things We Don't Understand and That's What Makes Science Exciting by Arno Penzias]]