The direct conversion of methane to methanol has attracted a great deal of attention for nearly a century since it was first found possible in 1902, and it is still a challenging task. This review article describes recent advancements in the direct partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The history of direct oxidation of methane and the difficulties encountered in the partial oxidation of methane to methanol are briefly summarized. Recently reported developments in gas-phase homogeneous oxidation, heterogeneous catalytic oxidation and liquid phase homogeneous catalytic oxidation of methane are reviewed.