  Scientific research is a continuous process, and the speed of future progress
can be estimated by the pace of finding explanations for previous research
questions. In this observers based view of stellar pulsation and
asteroseismology, we start with the earliest observations of variable stars and
the techniques used to observe them. The earliest variable stars were large
amplitude, radial pulsators but were followed by other classes of pulsating
stars. As the field matured, we outline some cornerstones of research into
pulsating star research with an emphasis on changes in observational
techniques. Improvements from photographs, to photometry, CCDs, and space
telescopes allowed researchers to separate out pulsating stars from other stars
with light variations, recognize radial and nonradial pulsation courtesy of
increased measurement precision, and then use nonradial pulsations to look
inside the stars, which cannot be done any other way. We follow several
highlighted problems to show that even with excellent space data, there still
may not be quick theoretical explanations. As the result of technical changes,
the structure of international organizations devoted to pulsating stars has
changed, and an increasing number of conferences specialized to space missions
or themes are held. Although there are still many unsolved problems, such as
mode identification in non-asymptotic pulsating stars, the large amount of data
with unprecedented precision provided by space missions (MOST, CoRoT, Kepler)
and upcoming missions allow us to use asteroseismology to its full potential.
However, the enormous flow of data will require new techniques to extract the
science before the next missions. The future of asteroseismology will be
successful if we learn from the past and improve with improved techniques,
space missions, and a properly educated new generation.
