The birth and subsequent development of the concept of the atomic level stresses are reviewed, and its future is discussed. Initially it was conceived as a means of describing the local structure in metallic glasses. It gradually became evident that its capacity is beyond the initial expectation. It appears that this concept is a powerful tool in understanding diverse phenomena in strongly disordered systems, such as the atomic dynamics in liquids, glass transition, mechanical failure and structural relaxation. This concept also has a potential to bridge distinct fields of glass research beyond metallic glasses, including colloids, molecular liquids, granular matter and other materials. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.