Transistor 1947

The first transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories on December 16, 1947 by William Shockley. This was perhaps the most important electronics event of the 20th century, as it later made possible the integrated circuit and microprocessor that are the basis of modern electronics. Prior to the transistor the only alternative to its current regulation and switching function (transfer resistor was the vacuum tubes, which could only be miniaturized to a certain extent, and wasted a lot of energy in the form of heat.

Compared to vacuum tubes, it offered

• Smaller size 
• Better reliability 
• Lower power consumption 
• Lower cost