Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Have you ever heard of an Iotatron or a Surface States Amplifier? Probably not - but you use them very often - these names were what a transistor might have been called. In this video, I dive into the fascinating, and surprisingly humble, origin story of the invention of the transistor - the transistor history.
In the transistor history, from the halls of Bell Labs in 1947, we follow John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley as they pivoted from a failed FET design to a makeshift gold-plated wedge that changed the world.
Despite the revolutionary potential of the transistor, the discovery was initially buried on page 46 of the New York Times over six months after it was first demonstrated.
But the invention of the transistor takes a number of twists and turns. One is how did the name "Transistor" come about? It wasn't an executive decision, but the brainchild of Bell Labs engineer and science fiction writer John R. Pierce (known to sci-fi fans as J.J. Coupling). By blending the technical concept of transresistance with the popular suffixes of contemporary components like the thermistor, he coined the word that would define the digital age.
Join in as I explore the failure, the persistence, and the sci-fi logic behind this groundbreaking device as I look at the invention of the transistor.
In this video, you’ll discover:
* The "makeshift" triangle of perspex that started it all.
* Why the New York Times initially ignored the invention.
* The "ballot" of rejected names (including Semitron!).
* How John Pierce used "transresistance" to name a legend.
Visit my online shop: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com
Vintage Tech Reigns T-Shirt: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vintage-tech-reigns-vacuum-tube-valve-t-shirt
Vintage Tech Reigns baseball cap: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vintage-tech-reigns-baseball-cap
More about the invention of the transistor and early transistors: electronics-notes.com/articles/history/semiconductors/when-was-transistor-invented-history-invention.php
Website: electronics-notes.com
And don’t forget to subscribe to my channel: youtube.com/electronicsnotes?sub_confirmation=1
#Transistor #TechHistory #BellLabs #Electronics #ScienceFiction #Engineering #VintageTech #STEM
Have you ever heard of an Iotatron or a Surface States Amplifier? Probably not - but you use them very often - these names were what a transistor might have been called. In this video, I dive into the fascinating, and surprisingly humble, origin story of the invention of the transistor - the transistor history.
In the transistor history, from the halls of Bell Labs in 1947, we follow John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley as they pivoted from a failed FET design to a makeshift gold-plated wedge that changed the world.
Despite the revolutionary potential of the transistor, the discovery was initially buried on page 46 of the New York Times over six months after it was first demonstrated.
But the invention of the transistor takes a number of twists and turns. One is how did the name "Transistor" come about? It wasn't an executive decision, but the brainchild of Bell Labs engineer and science fiction writer John R. Pierce (known to sci-fi fans as J.J. Coupling). By blending the technical concept of transresistance with the popular suffixes of contemporary components like the thermistor, he coined the word that would define the digital age.
Join in as I explore the failure, the persistence, and the sci-fi logic behind this groundbreaking device as I look at the invention of the transistor.
In this video, you’ll discover:
* The "makeshift" triangle of perspex that started it all.
* Why the New York Times initially ignored the invention.
* The "ballot" of rejected names (including Semitron!).
* How John Pierce used "transresistance" to name a legend.
Visit my online shop: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com
Vintage Tech Reigns T-Shirt: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vintage-tech-reigns-vacuum-tube-valve-t-shirt
Vintage Tech Reigns baseball cap: electronics-notes-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vintage-tech-reigns-baseball-cap
More about the invention of the transistor and early transistors: electronics-notes.com/articles/history/semiconductors/when-was-transistor-invented-history-invention.php
Website: electronics-notes.com
And don’t forget to subscribe to my channel: youtube.com/electronicsnotes?sub_confirmation=1
#Transistor #TechHistory #BellLabs #Electronics #ScienceFiction #Engineering #VintageTech #STEM
