One of the key milestones in the early days of nanotechnology was the invention of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer in 1981. This device allowed scientists to visualize and manipulate individual atoms for the first time, earning them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. Another significant milestone was the discovery of Fullerenes (or buckyballs) by Richard Smalley, Robert Curl, and Harold Kroto in 1985, which also led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996.