Basic breakthroughs in science, engineering, and measurement technology have brought fire testing to its current state of maturity. It has been a long and slow process that has seen several significant periods of growth. This growth in fire knowledge is associated with developments from a small number of scientists and engineers. The complete understanding of fire and its behavior in the wide range of environments awaits discovery and will be accomplished by future generations. Currently, there is still much to be learned about fire and much yet to be done with the development of and application of fire test methods. This treatise provides a history of the science that supports present work, the development of tools that make the study of fire possible, and the development of fire test methods that reflect the state of present day technology. The work is not meant to be a complete and comprehensive dissertation on the development of fire test methods but is an attempt to highlight significant contributions that have influenced the development of fire testing, in North America. Additionally, this paper provides insight into new opportunities for future studies and into the possibilities for development of future fire test methods.