The Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Ser. B reached its 100th volume in 2024. To celebrate this milestone, we have selected and reproduced past articles that describe impactful works conducted in Japan. These articles are reproduced exactly as they were originally published to convey their historical significance. Experts in their respective fields have reviewed the articles, placing them in their proper historical context. This special issue is a collection of these review articles, and more will be added as they are published.