Integrated Circuit Is 50 Years Old Today

arcticstoat writes "Today marks fifty years since the first integrated circuit, or microchip, was demonstrated by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments on 12 September 1958. The original chip might not be much to look at, but then Texas Instruments admits that Kilby often remarked that if he'd known he'd be showing the first working integrated circuit for the next 40-plus years, he would've 'prettied it up a little.' The integrated circuit itself was housed in a germanium strip on a glass slide, and it measured 7/16in by 1/16in. With protruding wires, and just containing a single transistor, some resistors and a capacitor, it's a primitive chip by today's standards, but it worked and successfully produced a sine wave on an oscilloscope screen at the demo. Technology hasn't been the same since."

Gramm'e'r nazis enjoy!

[vigmeister]

IC your 50 years old...

So what

[cromar]

At first I thought "so what," but now IC that this is momentous.

Re:*Sings*

[Anonymous Coward]

We'll see you in court.

--RIAA

Uh oh

[Bearpaw]

From TFA:

As a new recruit at Texus Instruments he wasnâ(TM)t able to take a two-week leave while his other colleagues were off sunning themselves. Instead, he confined himself to his lab alone where he came up with the idea of fabricating all of a circuitâ(TM)s components with a single block of the same material.

To commemorate Kilby's accomplishment and stimulate ingenuity, Texas Instruments will be canceling vacations for all of their employees.

Re:Uh oh

[Anonymous Coward]

That would serve them right.

Do you realize that 40% of sick days at TI are taken on Mondays and Fridays?

Re:One understatement, comming up!!

[spazdor]

correlation != coincidence as well.

Other coincidences abound, such as the fact that human flight became viable around the same time as the advent of the aeroplane.

Re:Microchip - aargh

[Feanturi]

Why not just call it a chip? Because you don't want to give non-technical people the wrong idea - they don't really go very good with salsa.

Re:*Sings*

[Stormwatch]

You now owe Time Warner $10,000.

Happy Birthd.... HEY!

[rarel]

Don't transistor me bro!

Re:One understatement, comming up!!

[ColdWetDog]

And electronics would have really taken off with lots of vacuum tubes.

Maybe not, but think of the Polar Bears. Global warming would have wiped the arctic off the map decades ago if we were still limited to 'valves'. But OTOH, iPods would just sound a lot better.

greatest invention

[chipace]

I was debating a coworker about the greatest invention of the 20th century, we both agreed that the miniskirt ranks higher than the transistor. It's interesting that they both came out around the same time.

Re:Gramm'e'r nazis enjoy!

[beadfulthings]

You really should get that chip off your shoulder.

can relat

[Tablizer]

not be much to look at, but then Texas Instruments admits that Kilby often remarked that if he'd known he'd be showing the first working integrated circuit for the next 40-plus years, he would've 'prettied it up a little.'

I say teh same about my posts that git modded way up
     

Re:The patentless 555

[2phar]

So I could have said what I said without the said said? Enough said.