1996
FEBRUARY
Four years after the first technical proposals, the experiments CMS and ATLAS are officially approved.
Both experiments aim to discover the Higgs boson, which would explain how particles get their mass, and probe the mysterious missing mass and dark energy of the Universe.
MARCH
India makes a financial contribution to the construction of the LHC.
And in June, Russia announces a financial contribution to the project.
DECEMBER
Canada announces a financial contribution for the LHC, while a protocol of co-operation is defined for participation of the United States.
Thanks to the contribution of non-Member States of CERN, the Council decides to construct the LHC in only one stage.
