Some of the most intriguing properties of matter arise because of the mutual interaction between electrons, causing correlations between them. Materials which display electron correlations offer great potential for developing new materials for technological applications. However, attempts to explain such phenomena by considering electrons individually largely fail, and enormous effort has been dedicated to developing theories which can account for such unexpected properties of matter. Two of the most well-known and heavily investigated correlated electron phenomena include ferromagnetism and superconductivity. As key examples, here we will explore these effects, building up from phenomenological description to fundamental theory and eventually to describe and plan experimental observations. We will extend these ideas to contemporary strongly correlated electron materials, and the current limitations in our understanding of these materials.