Pushing the Frontiers of Physics with Black Holes

Black holes are the most bizarre and extreme objects in the Universe, defying our understanding of known physical laws. Exploring this frontier has been a quest of astrophysics for decades. The Event Horizon Telescope project recently captured direct images of black holes and their environments with an Earth-sized telescope, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This effort required breakthroughs in instruments, computer models, and global organization. I will describe this journey into the unknown, sharing the path to the development of the project and the resulting scientific advances.