Abstract:  Two pivotal breakthroughs in physics recently turned respectable centennials: the discovery of the Schwarzschild solution, describing a non-rotating black hole, and Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves.  Gravitational waves offer a unique glimpse into the unseen universe, and allow us to test the basic tenets of General Relativity, some of which have been taken for granted without observations: are gravitons massless? Are black holes the simplest possible macroscopic objects? do event horizons and black holes really exist, or is their formation halted by some as-yet unknown mechanism? Do singularities arise in our universe as the outcome of violent collisions? Can gravitational waves carry information about the nature of the elusive dark matter?In this talk, I will describe the science encoded in a gravitational wave signal and what the upcoming years might have in store regarding fundamental physics and gravitational waves.