The first volume of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics contained nine articles (of 39) on shock waves. Some of these pioneered new branches of fluid mechanics. Others dealt with older problem areas. Surprising is one's realization that important elements of all topics are still of current interest. The subjects treated were shock structure, diffraction, refraction, waves in supersonic and hypersonic flows, large-amplitude acoustic and blast waves, and astrophysical processes. The subsequent addition of work on chemically reactive flows, radiating and laser-induced shocks, the effects of electric and magnetic fields on shock propagation in ionized media and the development of computer-based methods of analysis have greatly broadened the scope of shock wave investigations during the ensuing twenty-five years. The paper traces some of the principal lines of investigation from early motivations to the present state of understanding and application. Motivation is not often consciously expressed in the scientific literature. Usually an external motivation in terms of identifiable needs for better understanding for the solution of practical problems can be identified; though much excellent work must be ascribed to that ubiquitous trait curiosity. The topics covered in this article were chosen as representative of the basic elements of shock wave interactions and effects. They are: shock structure, refraction, diffraction, shocks in liquid helium, and condensation and liquefaction shocks. The paper closes with an assessment of how approximate and computational methods developed for handling complex flow problems fare when applied to some of the basic shock interactions considered here. Most of the emphasis will be on shock waves in gases, for which knowledge of an equation of state has been key to the significant advances made during the last twenty-five years. For liquids and solids, shock waves have been used the other way around; to study state properties.