William B. Shockley Autograph

Profession:
(1910-1989) United States scientist, Nobel Prize in Physics (1956) .

Year of Birth: 1910

William B. Shockley was born in London, England on February 13, 1910. He was the son of well-to-do parents, William Hillman Shockley and Anne Maynard Shockley. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a schoolteacher. He attended the prestigious London University, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in engineering. After graduating, he moved to the United States to pursue a career in engineering.

Shockley began his career as a research engineer at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. While working at Bell Labs, he made a number of important contributions to the development of electronics and telecommunications. He also worked on the Manhattan Project, developing a new type of radar that was used in the war effort. In 1947, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of the transistor.

Shockley then moved to the California Institute of Technology where he established the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. At the lab, he and his team developed the first silicon-based transistor, which revolutionized the electronics industry. He also developed the Shockley diode, which is used in computers and other electronic devices. He was awarded the National Medal of Science for his work in developing the silicon transistor.

Shockley's later years were marked by controversy. He became increasingly outspoken on his views on race and intelligence, which attracted criticism from many in the scientific community. His views eventually led to him being dismissed from the faculty at Stanford University in 1973. Despite the controversy, Shockley was widely respected for his work in the field of electronics.

William B. Shockley passed away in 1989, and was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005. His legacy in the field of electronics and telecommunications is undeniable. His discoveries and inventions revolutionized the industry and changed the way people use computers and other electronic devices.

William B. Shockley was one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century. His contributions to the development of the transistor and other electronic devices have had a major impact on society and will continue to shape the world for years to come.