2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/43449On the occasion of the celebration of the first half-century of Yang--Mills theories, I am contributing a personal recollection of how the subject, in its early times, confronted physical reality, that is, its "phenomenology". There is nothing original in this work, except, perhaps, my own points of view. But I hope that the older practitioners of the field will find here grounds for nostalgia, or good reasons to disagree with me. Younger addicts may learn that history does not resemble at all what is reflected in current textbooks: it was orders of magnitude more fascinating.Contribution to a book on "Fifty years of Yang-Mills Theories". 26 pages, including 10 figuresHigh Energy Physics - PhenomenologyHigh Energy Physics - TheoryHistory and Philosophy of Physicstext