Conquering The Electron: The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, And Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age

Description

Conquering the Electron offers readers a true and engaging history of the world of electronics, beginning with the discoveries of static electricity and magnetism and ending with the creation of the smartphone and the iPad. This book shows the interconnection of each advance to the next on the long journey to our modern-day technologies. Exploring the combination of genius, infighting, and luck that powered the creation of today's electronic age, Conquering the Electron debunks the hero worship so often plaguing the stories of great advances. Want to know how AT&T’s Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology—and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work—and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 8 INTRODUCTION......Page 12 Part I. AGE OF ELECTROMAGNETISM......Page 16 Chapter 1. THE KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION......Page 18 Chapter 2. THE TELEGRAPH......Page 47 Chapter 3. THE TELEPHONE......Page 65 Chapter 4. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY......Page 82 Chapter 5. LIGHTING AND ELECTRIFICATION......Page 92 Part II. AGE OF VACUUM ELECTRONICS......Page 116 Chapter 6. CURRENT FLOW IN A VACUUM......Page 118 Chapter 7. CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF ELECTRONS......Page 129 Chapter 8. RADIO......Page 138 Chapter 9. TELEVISION......Page 152 Chapter 10. RADAR......Page 163 Chapter 11. COMPUTER......Page 178 Part III. AGE OF SOLID-STATE ELECTRONICS......Page 190 Chapter 12. THE SEMICONDUCTOR......Page 192 Chapter 13. THE BIRTH OF THE TRANSISTOR......Page 200 Chapter 14. LAUNCHING THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY......Page 224 Chapter 15. THE DAWN OF SILICON VALLEY......Page 238 Chapter 16. THE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND THE CHIP......Page 249 Chapter 17. CHIP TECHNOLOGY BLOSSOMS......Page 266 Chapter 18. EVOLUTION OF THE ELECTRONICSINDUSTRY......Page 287 Chapter 19. LEDS, FIBER OPTICS, AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAYS......Page 306 Chapter 20. THE INFORMATION AGE AND BEYOND......Page 330 APPENDIX I: FURTHER READING......Page 340 APPENDIX II: SUMMARYOF KEY “CONQUERORSOF THE ELECTRON”......Page 346