While one could argue that the first potential field exploration application emerged in 1640 (see timeline below) or with Gulf Oil’s 1930 plunge into gravity and magnetics exploration. Since that year, acquisition technology has continued to advance at a mind-boggling pace—from LaCoste’s Zero-Length Spring to Sandwell and Regan’s satellite measurements. Data processing itself has evolved from Hammer’s 1939 gravity terraine corrections to Adkins’ real-time techniques. Here’s a brief timeline of key developments in the sciences.