Attempts at cardiac diagnosis go back to antiquity, but until the 18th century not much progress was made. The invention of the stethoscope and the development of instrumental methods in the 19th century catalyzed cardiac investigation and led to recording of venous and arterial pulse records from 1880 onwards. Heart sound recording started in 1900, and phonocardiography was used for about 60 years and then faded. Roentgen’s discovery of x-rays in 1895 was the start of a huge technological development in radiology, which is still continuing. Echocardiography and radiology have transformed cardiac diagnosis, though with a deleterious effect on clinical examination. The future is bright for further technological development, though the patient’s history will remain a keystone in diagnosis, providing physicians remember its importance...