The Formational Background of Silicon Valley - Livestream

The San Francisco Peninsula spawned the technology-centric marvel known today as "Silicon Valley". The early history of amateur radio on the Peninsula played a crucial role in preparing for the emergence of "Silicon Valley". In the 1930’s entrepreneurial efforts of amateur radio enthusiasts drove the development of high power vacuum tubes - much of this work revolved around Stanford University. The microwave klystron resulted from this collaboration and was of major importance to World War II radar. Dr. Frederick Terman (known as the "Father of Silicon Valley") encouraged amateur these radio activities and during WW II led the Radio Research Laboratory (RRL) at Harvard (staffed by engineers, many with amateur radio backgrounds). In the 1950s and 1960s the development of the silicon semiconductor industry became the driving force behind electronics in the Bay Area (and why it is called "Silicon Valley" today). Fairchild Semiconductor became the most important company in "Silicon Valley" during the 1960s and 1970s. Microprocessors and memory chips lead to the personal computer and the widespread use of the Internet. This talk will explore how these events lead to the high tech revolution that envelopes all of us.

Speaker: Don Estreich, Sonoma State University

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