  On 11 November 1999, a self-exciting magnetic eigenfield was detected for the
first time in the Riga liquid sodium dynamo experiment. We report on the long
history leading to this event, and on the subsequent experimental campaigns
which provided a wealth of data on the kinematic and the saturated regime of
this dynamo. The present state of the theoretical understanding of both regimes
is delineated, and some comparisons with other laboratory dynamo experiments
are made.
