This is a brief history of how chemists understand the way liquids wet things. The first glimpse was by Francis Hauksbee in the early 1700s, and how water rises in narrow tubes. Through the 18th century, natural philosophers described surface tension. The 19th century brought understanding of wetting via macroscopic observations and descriptions. The 20th century added insights of quantum mechanics and the influence of surface roughness. Finally we discuss the 20th-century observation of superhydrophobicity, both natural and eventually artificial.

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