At the end of the rst century of manned, powered ight, it is worthwhile to look backward to understand how innovation in airplane design required developments in aeroelasticity and how aeroelasticity has played a role in shaping the rst 100 years of aircraft design. The insights gained will help to predict how and where aeroelasticity and aeroservoelasticity will in uence the future development of ef cient, more capable, innovative air vehicles, and de ne the needs for technology and tools to enable this future. By de nition, all new aircraft begin as unconventional to a certain extent. Designs that never see universal use remain curiosities, but still help our quest for better vehicles and guide the development of analysis, design, and testing tools. Innovative, nontraditional designs affected by aeroelastic considerations have included oblique wing aircraft, forward-swept wing aircraft, Xwings, ying wings, and large joined wings. Designs that were unusually innovative at the time of their introduction but later became widespread include the swept-back wing jet, the T-tail, and the y-by-wire control con gured vehicle. Control and exploitation of aeroelasticity depends on the continued development of new materials, new structural and aerodynamicconcepts, sensors, actuators, and active control techniques. Such developments must be accompanied by proper integrated analysis/design tools, and, most importantly, by the same human inquisitiveness and creativity that has driven aircraft design for over a century. This paper uses the history of nonconventional airplane con gurations to review some of the steps taken during the past century to establish aeroelastic effects as integrated design features that must be anticipated, controlled, and exploited. The paper goes on to discuss the potential impact of past lessons on emerging airplane con gurations currently in various stages of study and development.