The “God Particle,” Discovered This Week, First Introduced to Public by Leon Lederman in 1993 Book The God Particle, Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

BOSTON -- Nearly 20 years ago, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Nobel Prize-winning author Leon Lederman coined the term “The God Particle” to describe the Higgs Boson, the elementary particle that is crucial to understanding how physical objects exist. This week, Switzerland’s European Organization for Nuclear Research (also called CERN) and Chicago’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have announced the momentous discovery of “The God Particle,” representing a breakthrough in physics after decades of work done by researchers like Lederman around the globe. Lederman’s The God Particle: If The Universe is The Answer, What is the Question? (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISDN 9780618711680) details the development of quantum mechanics, the quest for the Higgs Boson and the desire to understand the most basic elements of our existence. Lederman was for 10 years director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, one of the centers behind the discovery.  Researchers say the announcement is on the scale of the discovery of gravity or the existence of the electron, both which had implications in several different fields.  About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade & Reference Division With nearly two-centuries of award-winning history, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Trade and Reference Division continues to publish some of the most renowned novels, non-fiction, children’s books and reference works, Mariner Books trade paperbacks and ebooks.  Its distinguished author list includes eight Nobel Prize winners, 47 Pulitzer Prize winners, 13 National Book Award winners, and more than 100 Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Philip Roth, Temple Grandin, Tim O'Brien, and Umberto Eco, as well as The Best American series®, The American Heritage® family of dictionaries, The Gourmet Cookbook and other culinary classics, the Peterson Field Guides and books by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Along with a celebrated lineup of children’s authors, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group is the publisher of some of the best-loved children's books and book characters including Curious George, The Little Prince and The Polar Express.  For more information, visit www.hmhbooks.com.