Invention of the transistor at Bell Labs
- Date
- December 1947
- Category
- Science, technology & invention
- Region
- North America (United States)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
In December 1947 John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey demonstrated the first working point-contact transistor, a semiconductor amplifier using a slab of germanium and closely spaced gold contacts; it was successfully operated on 16 December and demonstrated to Bell management on 23 December.
William Shockley soon developed the more practical junction transistor. The three shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics. The transistor replaced bulky, power-hungry and fragile vacuum tubes with a compact, durable, low-power solid-state device. It became the fundamental building block of modern electronics, enabling radios, computers, and ultimately the integrated circuit and the information age. The transition from vacuum tubes to semiconductors transformed industries and everyday life, and the transistor is often regarded as one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century. Its development also helped establish the field of solid-state electronics that underpins contemporary digital technology.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in December 1947
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- Empire of Japan1868 CE – 1947 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
Related science, technology & invention events
- Invention of the integrated circuit1958–1959
- Intel Releases the 4004, the First Commercial Microprocessor1971
- The Apple II Launches the Personal Computer Era1977
- First ARPANET message, precursor of the Internet29 October 1969
- Ray Tomlinson Sends Networked Email and Chooses the @ Symbol1971
- IBM Launches the Personal Computer1981
Further reading
The wider story
A Little History of Science
Warm, jargon-free tour of discovery from Babylonian stargazers to the genome.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.