In the past few decades the way in which astronomers use telescopes (or observatories) has changed dramatically. These changes have brought significant efficiency upgrades (science per hour) and have generally improved the professional lives of both users and observatory staff. In this review I will describe a personal view of this history highlighting some significant developments and their impacts along the way.

I will also briefly consider other, wider, impacts, and offer some thoughts on the future evolution of how we use our telescopes.