I suggest in this opening address to the 17th International Congress of Acarology that successful navigation into the future of acarology calls for a basic understanding and appreciation of its past, and of those who participated in its rise to prominence. I cite examples of some of the earliest recorded references to mites dating from 1550 BC to the first millennium and then fast forward to Linnaeus and Latreille in the 18th and early 19th centuries, later focusing on some of our later acarological pioneers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and finally recognizing others who participated in the First International Congress of Acarology in 1963. I conclude with remarks on artificial intelligence and its possible role in acarology’s future.