For the past three years, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have begun exploring physics at the high energy frontier. A rich harvest of initial physics results has been obtained that allows us to test the Standard Model (SM) of elementary particles and to make searches Beyond the SM (BSM), at the highest energy level ever reached in a laboratory. Most exciting is the recent discovery of a new particle that may well be the long-awaited Higgs Boson. This discovery would also establish the postulated electro-weak symmetry breaking mechanism in the SM. Other far-reaching results can be reported for BSM physics searches like Supersymmetry (SUSY) and its implication for Dark Matter in the Universe, Extra Dimensions, and the production of new heavy particles. Besides these physics results, the history and technical challenges of the LHC project, its status, future physics prospects, as well as Cal and LBNL’s prominent role in them will also be covered briefly in this talk.