Linac "Golden Bolt" ceremony, 1966

On February 10, 1966, a ceremony was held at SLAC to place the last bolt -- the "golden bolt" -- in the two-mile-long accelerator, making the underground device one physical unit for the first time.

Even though construction was completed in February, sectional testing of the linac continued through May of 1966, when the first beam successfully traveled the entire length of the linac.