This document provides a summary of an introduction to field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) lecture. It begins with a brief history of digital design and programmable logic, including how FPGAs evolved from programmable logic arrays and complex programmable logic devices. It then covers basics of digital design principles like synchronous design and combinational vs sequential logic. The document outlines and describes the basic FPGA architecture including logic blocks, routing resources, and examples from Xilinx Virtex II Pro family. It concludes with an overview of the traditional HDL design flow process from behavioral simulation to synthesis, implementation, and downloading the design.