In December 1957, Business Week profiled a new device from General Electric. The author begins by saying:
A new device in a pea-sized package stands a good chance of hitting the electrical industry as thunderously as its older and more famous relative, the transistor, struck electronics
How often does a business article hail some new technology like this? And how often does the thing actually live up to such words? The article was talking about the Silicon Thyristor. And it did indeed revolutionize the electric industry. In this video, the discovery and nearly 70 year impact of the first solid-state power electronics device.
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