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

Part I: Age of Electromagnetism1 The Knowledge Foundation The Beginning Scientific MethodThe Magic of Static ElectricityThe Battery Linking Electricity and Magnetism Faraday, the Grand MasterMaxwell, the Peerless Genius2 The TelegraphMessages Sent by Electric Current Annihilating the Time-Space BarrierWire Across the AtlanticIntellectual Property DisputesMorse CodeImpact3 The TelephoneVoices Carried Over WireBuilding the Telephone Business Patent Battle of the CenturySound of Music4 Wireless TelegraphyHertz and the Electromagnetic WavesMarconi and the WirelessCrossing the Ocean Blue5 Lighting and ElectrificationElectrical Lighting SystemsGenerators and MotorsThe AC-DC War Impact of ElectrificationEdison, Tesla, and SiemensOne Hundred Years of ElectromagnetismPart II: Age of Vacuum Electronics6 Current Flow in a VacuumCathode RaysThe Electron ExposedThe Puzzle of Penetrative LightThe Legacy of Vacuum Electronics7 Controlling the Flow of ElectronsThe Edison EffectThe Vacuum DiodeThe Magical Third ElectrodeVoices Across the Continent8 RadioChristmas Eve, 1904Core Radio TechnologyRCA and SarnoffArmstrong\'s Tragedy9 TelevisionTransmitting Video through the AirA Farm Boy from Utah and a Russian EmigreThe Intellectual Property Battle10 RadarClairvoyanceHunting the SubmarineThe Most Valuable LuggageRadio NavigationThe Microwave World11 ComputerThe Calculating MachineENIACFoundation of Computer ArchitectureFramework for the FuturePart III: Age of Solid-State Electronics12 The SemiconductorBell LabsKelly\'s ForesightThe Unpredictable Semiconductor13 The Birth of the TransistorThe Flamboyant GeniusConceptualizing a Solid-State TriodeForging a Better SemiconductorDiscovery of the p-n JunctionRoadblocksThe Great BreakthroughThe Roll-Out . . . . . . And the FightShockley\'s Last LaughThe Zeal of Teal and the Elan of PfannResolution14 Launching the Electronics Industry Sharing TechnologyNew PlayersThe Debut of SiliconThe Transistor RadioJapanese PioneersThe Transistor Era Begins15 The Dawn of Silicon ValleyWall Street Journal or Physical Review?Shockley and the Traitorous EightThe Birth of Venture CapitalThe Changing of the Guard16 The Integrated Circuit and the ChipKilby and the First Integrated CircuitHoerni and the Planar Process Noyce and the ChipFairchild and the Silicon Valley Phenomenon17 Chip Technology BlossomsThe Early Market for ChipsMoore\'s LawMemory ChipsMicroprocessor-ENIAC on a chipThe Personal Computer UnleashedUbiquitous Silicon18 Evolution of the Electronics IndustryCompetitors from AsiaComputer-Aided DesignThe Foundries of TaiwanNoyce, Moore, and GroveTurning Silicon Into Gold19 LEDs, Fiber Optics, and Liquid Crystal DisplaysLuminescent SemiconductorsSemiconductor LasersFiber Optic CommunicationsLiquid Crystal Displays20 The Information Age and BeyondPutting It All Together The Information RevolutionGlobalizationLooking AheadAppendix I: Further ReadingAppendix II: Summary of Key \"Conquerors of the Electron\"