Overview

In 1947 Bell Laboratories scientists invented the transistor—a semiconductor device that could amplify electrical signals transmitted through it. Those in the "know" recognized the significance of the transistor as a compact, reliable replacement for the inefficient vacuum tube; but the development of what many now consider the twentieth century's most important invention, was not prominently reported. Not even the team responsible for the transistor, John Bardeen (1908-1987), Walter Houser Brattain (1902-1987), and William Bradford Shockley (1910-1989), were aware of the singular role their discovery was about to play in initiating the information age and making possible everything from miniature hearing aids to high-speed computers.

Background

In 1904 John A. Fleming (1849-1945) developed...