In this article I first give an abbreviated history of string theory and then describe the recently-conjectured field-string duality. This suggests a class of nonsupersymmetric gauge theories which are conformal (CGT) to leading order of 1/N and some of which may be conformal for finite N. These models are very rigid since the gauge group representations of not only the chiral fermions but also the Higgs scalars are prescribed by the construction. If the standard model becomes conformal at TeV scales the GUT hierarchy is nullified, and model-building on this basis is an interesting direction. Some comments are added about the dual relationship to gravity which is absent in the CGT description.

18 pages LaTeX. Talk at BEYOND 99, June 6-12, 1999 at Castle Ringberg, Tegernsee, Germany