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Special: The Transistor at 75
Dec 16, 2022

Special: The Transistor at 75

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Nokia Bell Labs still has the first transistor, which was invented in 1947. Here's David Brancaccio holding it at the company's campus in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Alex Schroeder/Marketplace
The future began 75 years ago with the invention of something small that's now considered the most manufactured item in human history and the biggest thing since fire. This is a Marketplace special report on the birth of the transistor, which happened in New Jersey on Dec. 16, 1947 at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Bell Labs was at that time the research arm of the telephone monopoly AT&T. But what were the other ingredients needed for this place to become a hotspot for innovation? Why did it take years for the transistor to find a home inside the first commercial pocket radio? How did the transistor contribute to the rise of Silicon Valley? Transistors defined the last half of the 20th century and nearly the first quarter of the century we live in now. We spent some time exploring the ecosystems of innovation that created this world.

Segments From this episode

The Transistor at 75

75 years ago, the transistor ignited the fire of modern innovation

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 12, 2022
The transistor was born in 1947 at Bell Labs in New Jersey. We're looking into the culture of innovation that made it possible.
Nokia Bell Labs still has the first transistor, which was invented in 1947. Here's David Brancaccio holding it at the company's campus in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Alex Schroeder/Marketplace
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The Transistor at 75

Bell Labs: The research center behind the transistor, and so much more

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 13, 2022
Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T, a monopoly at the time the transistor was invented.
Physicists John Bardeen (left), William Shockley (center) and Walter Brattain won the Nobel Prize for their work on the transistor. It's one of nine Nobel Prizes that Bell Labs researchers have received.
Nokia USA Inc. and AT&T Archives
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The Transistor at 75

What does Nokia Bell Labs look like 75 years since the transistor's invention?

by David Brancaccio , Alex Schroeder and Erika Soderstrom
Dec 13, 2022
It's responsible for the transistor, information theory, pioneering satellite work and more.
Today, Bell Labs is owned by Nokia. The research company is working on 6G mobile phone technology and a cellular network on the moon, among other things.
Alex Schroeder/Marketplace
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The Transistor at 75

Taking the transistor mainstream with music on the go

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 14, 2022
The transistor starts to shine when Texas Instruments asks Regency to make a radio for more mobile listening.
The Regency TR-1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio.
Joe Haupt via Wikimedia Commons
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The Transistor at 75

The transistor's role in the birth of Silicon Valley

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 15, 2022
Silicon Valley exists for a number of reasons. Chief among them might be the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Companies like Intel were born from the semiconductor revolution. But how did silicon — and the transistor — end up in California?
David McNew/Newsmakers via Getty Images
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The Transistor at 75

The transistor's story is one of innovation and immigration

by David Brancaccio and Alex Schroeder
Dec 16, 2022
Mohamed Atalla of Egypt and Dawon Kahng of Korea are responsible for the technology that helped harness the transistor's power.
The technology developed by two immigrants at Bell Labs in 1959 allowed transistors to become small enough so that more could fit on a microprocessor.
krystiannawrocki/Getty Images
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The Transistor at 75

Tracing the history of electronics through the Old Calculator Web Museum

by David Brancaccio , Jarrett Dang and Alex Schroeder
Dec 16, 2022
"The first digital use of the transistor for consumers was in a calculator," says Rick Bensene, curator of the Old Calculator Web Museum.
Back in the 1970s, the first microprocessors and transistor technology were breaking ground in calculators.
MarioGuti via Getty Images
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The team

David Brancaccio Host
Meredith Garretson Morbey Senior Producer
Alex Schroeder Producer
Erika Soderstrom Producer
Redmond Carolipio Digital Producer
Ariana Rosas Producer
Jarrett Dang Digital Producer (gone fishing)
Jesson Duller Media Producer
Brian Allison Technical Director
Nick Esposito Media Producer
Katie Barnfield Producer, BBC
James Graham Producer, BBC
Jo Critcher Producer, BBC

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