History of representation theory For a student's journal I want to write a short article about history and importance (applications) of representation theory. Are there some accesible literature about this?

I recall reading a bit of Pioneers of Representation Theory from the library and found it pleasant.
As for applications / importance, consider searching around the web for how quantum mechanics is informed by representation theory (accompanied by Lie theory). I am not sure the literature is very accessible on this subject, but I'd wager the main points could be diluted enough to be both enlightening and approachable.
