<p>This paper has a twofold motivation. The first, ‘objective’, one is concerned with the need to take stock of the progress of a scientific field in order to grasp the innovations necessary to keep it up-to-date and congruent with the cultural and technological expectations of a society undergoing tumultuous change and development. This is certainly the case of nonlinear dynamics in mechanics, which has reached a conscious identity and a full methodological and phenomenological maturity, after more than forty years of intense growth. The other motivation is more ‘subjective’, because of reflecting the experience of a scientist who had the rewarding opportunity to stay in touch with many outstanding scholars of nonlinear dynamics in mechanics, and younger researchers, too, just in those forty years of fundamental achievements. As such, the paper aims, on one hand, to witness on the progressive growth of the relevant community, thereby providing a personal tribute to a few scholars who can be considered as inspiring ‘fathers’, and to many other excellent colleagues and friends. On the other hand, to give an overview of personal achievements, suitably embedding them within the flow of knowledge generally developed within that community. Main research lines and involved actors are presented in the background of an evolutionary map of the area ranging from classical to hybridized topics. Challenges and prospects for future developments are then addressed, based on two main criteria. (i) Attempting to link them back to the accomplishments of former generations of nonlinear dynamics scholars in mechanics, highlighting how meaningful novel achievements can be attained building on the shoulders of early ‘giants’ of variable stature. (ii) Distinguishing between challenges and perspectives of intrinsic mechanical significance, and general contributions that nonlinear dynamics is called to provide for a reliable description and effective control of a large variety of evolutionary phenomena involving mechanical aspects but also going beyond them. This last feature reflects the general matter of adequately reassessing fields of interest and pertinence of mechanics, which, after having been the ‘queen’ of applied mathematical sciences and engineering for a long time, is probably destined to play a new scientific and technological role in a multi-faceted and ever more rapidly evolving world. The paper can thus be considered both retrospective and prospective in nature. It also includes an Appendix of thoughts and personal recollections about pleasure, difficulties, and ‘style’ of relationships in academic communities.</p>