The transistor was patented 75 years ago today — the age of silicon and software began with a three-electrode circuit element using semiconductor materials

75 years ago, the three Bell Labs scientists behind the invention of the transistor would, at last, have the U.S. Patent in their hands. This insignificant-looking semiconductor device with three electrodes sparked the third industrial revolution. Moreover, it ushered in the age of silicon and software, which still dominates business and human society to this day.

The first working transistor was demonstrated in 1947, but it wasn’t until October 3, 1950, that the patent was secured by John Bardeen,…