Abstract
This paper is the history of the discovery of metallic, fluid hydrogen at 3000 K achieved with a two-stage light-gas gun (2SG) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The temperature is low in that the electrons are highly degenerate and the experimental lifetime is long in that the fluid is in thermal equilibrium. The necessary technology and experimental data were developed over a period of twenty-five years without realizing the end result would be metallic fluid hydrogen. The requirements for success were physical intuition, creative thinking concerning experiments to be performed and how to interpret results, persistence, a willingness to take risks, and luck. Knowing where to look is not luck, but the cooperation of nature is required to make any discovery. The biggest impediment was the funding system, which discourages risk.
