Chapter 1
The Stanford spark and the HP garage
Chapter 2
Shockley and the traitorous eight
Chapter 3
The silicon gold rush
Chapter 4
From orchards to microchips
YOUR GOAL
Master of The birth of Silicon Valley
Ch 3 · The silicon gold rush
steve The silicon gold rush
At 367 Addison Ave, Bill and Dave found their spark, A small Palo Alto garage, Birthed the future of tech, left its mark.
steve Dozens of major tech companies spun out of Fairchild, creating a massive, interconnected corporate family.
steve Robert Noyce co-invented the integrated circuit, placing multiple electronic components onto a single piece of silicon.
BETA
steve Assemble garage inventions to learn about Silicon Valley's pioneering tech companies.
Fun Fact
Silicon valley name: Journalist Don Hoefler first coined the term 'Silicon Valley' in a series of articles published in 1971.
Glossary
transistor (noun)
A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. In 1957, the Traitorous Eight left William Shockley's laboratory to manufacture silicon transistors at Fairchild Semiconductor.
A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. In 1957, the Traitorous Eight left William Shockley's laboratory to manufacture silicon transistors at Fairchild Semiconductor.
Quiz
What is the nickname for the spin-off tech companies founded by former Fairchild Semiconductor employees?
Quiz
Who coined the written term 'Silicon Valley' in a series of articles published in 1971?
Quiz
Which Fairchild Semiconductor co-founder co-invented the integrated circuit alongside Jack Kilby?
Quiz
According to Moore's Law, formulated in 1965, how often does microchip transistor density roughly double?
Quiz
Which major computer chip company did Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore co-found in 1968 after leaving Fairchild?
Quiz
What revolutionary flat manufacturing method did Fairchild engineer Jean Hoerni invent in 1959?