Until the early 1960s, infrared astronomy was largely restricted to the near infrared. Sensitivities, even there, were very low. Around that time a gradual change came about, largely triggered by powerful detectors, initially developed for military purposes, that became available to astronomers. In the early years, traditional astronomers did not expect any remarkable results; but the discovery of stars luminous in the near infrared and virtually unobservable at optical wavelengths, as well as investigations of the Galactic Center and dust-shrouded star-forming regions gradually changed that perception. Telescopes taken above the atmosphere aboard airplanes, balloons, and rockets further opened the accessible wavelength range, and brought powerful far-infrared sources into view. By the time the mid-1970s had arrived, interest in infrared astronomy had grown to the point where significant investments were undertaken in a large airborne observatory and small satellite observatories. Many of these became affordable because detector development and space facilities for surveys conducted by the U.S. Air Force had already paved the way. At each step, increased sensitivity, imaging capabilities and spectral resolution, as well as access to previously unexplored wavelength ranges, translated into unanticipated discoveries that heightened interest, attracting ever greater numbers of young astronomers to the field. From perhaps half a dozen dedicated infrared astronomers world-wide, in the early 1960s, we have grown to a large international community today. Multi-nationally constructed satellite observatories like IRAS, ISO, SWAS and ODIN, internationally accessible space facilities like Spitzer, and large dedicated ground-based facilities, have accelerated the pace of discovery and heightened expectations for evermore sophisticated facilities under construction today. These developments, and highlights of some of the most striking discoveries that infrared astronomy has provided, will be presented to outline where we stand today, and how we arrived here.