Research into methods for the real-time measurement of light absorbing aerosols began in Berkeley in 1978. The first-ever Aethalometer® was deployed in a field study in the summer of 1980: the first aircraft measurements were made in 1982, and in 1986 an Aethalometer started making measurements of aerosol Black Carbon at the most remote location on the planet, the South Pole Observatory. Magee Scientific Company was established that same year to further develop and commercialize the Aethalometer, and make it available to the aerosol research and monitoring community. Aethalometers have been used in increasing numbers over the years: almost 2,000 instruments have been delivered to locations on all 7 continents, and almost 5,000 reports using Aethalometer data have been published in the open scientific literature.