The Invention of the Silicon Engine

In this eighth volume in the Invention Series, B.J.G. van der Kooij continues his exploration of the history of technological innovation, taking readers on an amazing, in-depth journey and examination of the Twentieth Century, the lives of innovators, emergent technologies, and their larger socio-economic impacts. Now the focus is on Era of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that marked the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

After describing the nineteenth century and the twentieth century, that set the context for this technological development, the inventions of the Electric Era are explored. Next, the (r)evolutions that followed the inventions of the early mechanical communication, calculating and computing engines during the first half of the twentieth century are presented in detail. Inventions that created the IT&CT-Revolution (1920-1950) based on electro-mechanical technologies that had a considerable socio-economic impact. From the Communication (R)evolution to the Calculating and Computing (R)evolutions.

But the electro-mechanical technologies were not suitable for further development. The breakthrough came with the discovery how to control the behavior of electrons in vacuum; the Radio Tube was the result of the First Electronic Revolution. Next came the control of the behaviour of electrons in solid-state material like silicon: the Transistor was invented and ignited the Second Electronic Revolution. Electronic circuitry using these new components replaced their mechanical equivalents opening new avenues of development in communication: both radio/ television broadcasting and 'radio' communication. Electronics became the driving forces of the Communication Technologies. Even more when that circuitry became integrated on a silicon chip; aka the Integrated Circuit. Miniaturization that resulted in the micro-processor on a chip. In the domain of communication, all these Silicon Engines fueled the Radio Revolution, the Television Revolution and the Mobile Phone Revolution, up to the Smartphone Revolution. Together they created the ICT-Revolution (1950-2000).

The Silicon Engine became a driving force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution starting after the Second World War. A time where next to technological-induced change, society underwent dramatic changes. From new industries and their economic impact, to their products (radio, television, mobile phone) influencing individual lifestyles. News and entertainment entered the private home, mobile telephony connected people. At the end of the century, ICT had changed the world.