ABSTRACT
Although this handbook largely focuses on the current status and future vision of virtual environments (VE) technology, it would be unjust to develop such a work without providing acknowledgement to the pioneers whose vision and innovativeness laid the groundwork for the science, technology, and applications described here. This chapter provides a very brief historical overview of some of the key people and major milestones that led to the current state of the art. In addition, readers of this handbook may be left wondering where they can gain more information about the VE profession. This chapter provides a number of such references, including major application Web links, associated periodicals, major conferences and trade shows, major organizational players, and general and historical references.
