Transistors & Telecommunication Satellites: Bell Labs

<p>The transistor; solar panels; the first telecommunications satellite; cell phone networks; UNIX code; information theory. All these and more were invented in one place: Bell Labs.</p><br><p>Bell Labs was where the future, which is what we now happen to call the present, was conceived and designed. It was the research and development arm of AT&T, which had monopoly control of the American phone system for much of the 20th century, and had more than ten thousand employees in its heyday.</p><br><p>Why is Bell Labs not a household name?</p><br><p>How did the transistor chip come to be?</p><br><p>Which genius rode a unicycle around the office while smoking a cigar?</p><br><p>Our guest today is Jon Gertner, author of <em>The Idea Factory </em>as we explore the secret to Bell Labs’ success.</p><br><p>With thanks to AT&T Archives and History Center for the archive recordings.</p><br><p>The episode was produced by Freddy Chick</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The senior producer is Charlotte Long</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters<a href="https://www.historyhit.com/sign-up-to-history-hit/?utm_source=timelinenewsletter&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Timeline+Podcast+Campaign" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here.</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit -<a href="https://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=Podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> subscribe today</a>!</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>