Chalcogenide glasses, which are among the technologically very important materials, contain at least one chalcogen element as a major constituent and their utilization ranges from infrared (IR) optics applications to phase-change, optical-electrical data-recording. The interest to spectacle glasses exhibiting transparency in the IR region of the optical spectrum coincides with the mid-twentieth century. Firstly, heavy metal oxides were investigated and the transparency limit was extended from 3-5 μm (classical oxide glasses) to 7-8 μm wavelength. The widespread usage of infrared optics in the 20 th century has led to the need for new IR materials and to increase the IR transparency limit over 8 μm and scientists have tried chemical compositions of S, Se and Te in the 6 th group of the periodic table. Compared to oxide glasses, their mechanical strength and thermal stability are considerably lower and the calorimetric glasses form a new glass group with semiconductor properties. In this article, a brief overview of the definition, historical development, structure, properties and potential applications of chalcogenide glasses dating back to the early 1950s is given.