AbstractIn January of this year I received an unexpected request from George Bloom to contribute an historical perspective on “the discovery of tau protein,” an event that occurred roughly 50 years ago. My first thought was that it could not have been that long ago, as the memories of what was my first independent scientific discovery are still fresh in my mind today. But 50 years is half a century and, as I thought about the events, I realized how much the practice of science has changed.