Chicken gene inheritance analysis, started one century ago, had led to the development of the classical genetic map. Efforts and legacy of the previous geneticists' generations are not forgotten and constitute the fundamentals of contemporary genome research progress. Advances in molecular biology, cytogenetics and DNA technologies provided more powerful and sophisticated tools to tackle chicken gene mapping and genome research problems. In the 1990s configurations of chicken molecular and cytogenetic maps had begun standing out. New horizons in chicken genomics are opening with application of BAC libraries, BAC-contig physical maps, ESTs and whole genome sequencing. The chicken has been a notable experimental model for several fundamental and applied biologic disciplines in the last century, and will remain such in the 21st century. The upcoming complete genome sequencing combined with discovering gene functions will facilitate the improvement of traits of economic importance and value in poultry.