String theory began in the 1920s with Kaluza-Klein theory which proposed that electromagnetism can arise from gravity in a theory with four space dimensions. In the 1970s, string theory was developed as a way to describe the quantum mechanics of oscillating strings. Supersymmetry was introduced in the 1970s and holds the promise of resolving problems in particle theory. In the 1980s, breakthroughs showed string theory can incorporate supersymmetry and gravity, and it was accepted as a potential theory of quantum gravity. Further developments in the 1990s through dualities unified different versions of string theory and shed light on black hole thermodynamics.