A Brief History of the Co-evolution of Supernova Theory with Neutrino Physics

The histories of core-collapse supernova theory and of neutrino physics have paralleled one another for more than seventy years. Almost every development in neutrino physics necessitated modifications in supernova models. What has emerged is a complex and rich dynamical scenario for stellar death that is being progressively better tested by increasingly sophisiticated computer simulations. Though there is still much to learn about the agency and details of supernova explosions, whatever final theory emerges will have the neutrino at its core. I summarize in this brief contribution some of the salient developments in neutrino physics as they related to supernova theory, while avoiding any attempt to review the hundreds of pivotal papers that have pushed supernova theory forward. My goal has been merely to highlight the debt of supernova astrophysics to neutrino physics.