One hundred years of scintillation: from Zinc Sulphide to Lanthanum Bromide

From the experiments of M/S Geiger and Marsden that led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus to the recent discovery of the famous Boson at the LHC the preeminent position of scintillator detectors remains unchallenged in experimental nuclear and particle physics. The sustained and collective efforts of the nuclear and particle physicists, crystal growers and the industry have resulted in the discovery and marketing of inorganic scintillator detectors with near "ideal properties" for nuclear radiation detection. The first part of the talk is simply storytelling, the saga of the evolution of scintillator detectors amd their roles in major discoveries. The second part focuses on the application of inorganic and organic scintillators in low and medium energy nuclear physics, drawing primarily from the personal involvement of the speaker in building arrays of scintillator detectors and his long-standing infatuation with materials that scintillate.