In the Research Topic "History of Chemoattractant Research" we will portray some of the key discoveries that helped to transform cell migration research into a global playing field within immunology (and beyond). Early progress had a profound effect on both, academia and industry. Today, numerous academic laboratories are fully engaged in compiling a detailed road map describing the highly complex network of immune and tissue cells that respond to chemoattractants. Industrial research, on the other hand, centers on drugs that interfere with immune cell traffic in inflammatory diseases and cancer. The following series of "short stories" provide personal accounts on key discoveries. The individual molecular discoveries enabled numerous research laboratories worldwide to unravel their significance in steady-state or pathological immune processes. Although ground-breaking in their own right, it is therefore worth emphasizing that rapid progress in chemoattractant research was made possible by many other laboratories who were not directly involved in the original discovery process. Therefore, the authors of this mini-series are discussing their findings in the context of time, place and subsequent progress enabled by their discoveries. It is hoped that a wide readership will find these accounts entertaining as well as educational although those who wish to gain a more detailed knowledge are referred to the many outstanding reviews on chemokines and other chemoattractants.