Storage ring: An advanced tool in modern research

These introductory notes give a personal flavoured view on the developments, opportunities and perspectives of ion storage rings with cooling devices including some highlights of applications in various fields of research. First some historical remarks are made on the development of cooler rings and cooling techniques, highlighted by the observation of "orderliness" in cooled heavy ion beams. In the main part recent experimental highlights from storage rings in the fields of particle-, nuclear and atomic physics are reviewed. The lecture will end with a look at future projects and a dream.