Knot theory is the study of mathematical knots, piecewise linear simple closed curves in R³. There are many different knot diagrams, or 2Dprojections of a knot, that represent equivalent knots. A main concern in knot theory is finding knot invariants, or properties of a knot diagram that are the same for equivalent knots. One such invariant is the Jones polynomial, discovered by Vaughn Jones in 1984. This talk will discuss the historical and contemporary significance of knot theory and will show that the Jones polynomial is a knot invariant. This talk should be easily accessible to undergraduate students.