  Experiments on Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of excitons in the
semiconductor Cu$_2$O started over thirty years ago, as one of the first
serious attempts at exciton BEC. Early claims were based on spectroscopic
signatures and transport data which have since been reinterpreted, in large
part because the Auger recombination process for excitons was not well
understood. Understanding of the Auger process has also advanced, and recent
experiments have made significant progress toward exciton BEC. We review the
history of experiments on exciton BEC in Cu$_2$O, the Auger recombination
process, and the prospects for observing exciton BEC in this system in the near
future.
