  Since the 1970s it has been known that noble gases scintillate in the near
infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum (0.7 $\mu$m < $\lambda$; < 1.5$\mu$m).
More controversial has been the question of the NIR light yield for condensed
noble gases. We first present the motivation for using the NIR scintillation in
liquid argon detectors, then briefly review early as well as more recent
efforts and finally show encouraging preliminary results of a test performed at
Fermilab.
