The discovery of the W and Z

We briefly discuss the genesis of the CERN antiproton–proton collider project aimed at discovering the intermediate vector bosons W and Z, describe the main features of the UA1 and UA2 experiments, as well as the initial search and discovery of the W and Z. We also review the subsequent improvements in the determination of the basic electroweak parameters of the W and Z and of their QCD production properties as they evolved over the ten years of operation of the CERN antiproton–proton collider.