Trivia: June 14, 2006

June 12, 2006
In 1971, this company introduced the world’s first microprocessor...

Question:

In 1971, this company introduced the world's first microprocessor.

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Answer:

Intel

Measuring one-eighth by one-sixteenth of an inch, Intel’s 4004 had 2300 transistors…

More about the first microprocessor.

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Question:

In 1943 the Army funded the development of this first true general-purpose electronic computer.

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Answer:

ENIAC

The electronic numerical integrator and computer (ENIAC) stood 10 feet tall, weighed approximately 30 tons, occupied 1000 square feet of floor space, and used more than 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes.

More about ENIAC.

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Question:

In 1986, researcher and author K. Eric Drexler introduced the term nanotechnology in his book Engines of Creation. But the idea for nanotechnology really dates back to 1959, which this physicist and Nobel Laureate gave an invited talk to the American Physical Society’s annual meeting.

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Answer:

Richard Feynman

Feynman’s noted speech, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” described the challenges of manipulating and controlling things on a very tiny scale of molecules and atoms.

More about the birth of nanotechnology.

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Question:

This inventor of the first monolithic integrated circuit was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000.

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Answer:

Jack St. Clair Kilby

On Sept. 12, 1958, Kilby successfully demonstrated the first simple microchip in the lab. More work continued, and Texas Instruments announced the development on March 6, 1959.

More about Jack Kilby’s life and contribution to electronic engineering.

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