Bell System Techical Journal now online

The complete Bell System Technical Journal from 1922-1983 is available on line and searchable. See
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/ .

The first transistor - read Shockley's lab notes

Take a look at William Shockley's hand written lab notes at Bell Labs when he created the first point contact transistor back in December 1947. Little did he know then what this would lead to in the next 60 years. Amazingly the patent wasn't filed until 1951. Who actually invented the first transistor is debated and was the result of separate discoveries and hard work by many. This is often the case in science.