Few-mode fibers provide a number of independent channels in a single strand of optical fiber. Therefore they have potential for increasing channel capacity and data throughput, stabilizing coherent systems, simplifying and miniaturizing fiber optic circuits, and multiplying the number of functions and operations which can be performed. However, due to the difficulties associated with the control of guided modes in such fibers, their multi-channel capacity has not yet been fully exploited. Recently, we have been attempting to better understand the modal and polarization characteristics of few-mode optical fibers, and to utilize these fibers for the major application areas of fiber optics. This paper reviews some of the early work, and describes the current development of few-mode fiber optic devices at Stanford University.