Only 10 years after the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1986 this method has become the "gold-standard" in the treatment of uncomplicated and complicated gallbladder disease. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was so successfull, that it became the trendsetter in minimal-invasive surgery leading to revolutionary changes in all fields of surgery. Although nowadays self-evident, minimal-invasive surgery passed through a protracted and hindrance history of development. In this article we will review the history of laparoscopy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy and discuss its influence in the development of minimal-invasive surgery.