This document discusses the history and development of DNA sequencing technologies from 1953 to the present. Early methods like Sanger sequencing allowed sequencing of around 6,000 base pairs per day in 1985, increasing to 600,000 bp per day by 2000. The goal is now 100 gigabases per hour by 2010. DNA sequence data is stored in databases like GenBank, EMBL, and DDBJ. Emerging fields like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are using high-throughput sequencing and associated '-omics' approaches to study biological systems.