Conquering the Electron cover art

Conquering the Electron

The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

$8.99/mo after trial ends. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options

Conquering the Electron

By: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
Try for $0.00

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.44

Buy Now for $26.44

Conquering the Electron offers listeners a true and engaging history of the world of electronics, beginning with the discoveries of static electricity and magnetism and ending with the creation of the smartphone and the iPad. 

This book shows the interconnection of each advance to the next on the long journey to our modern-day technologies. Exploring the combination of genius, infighting, and luck that powered the creation of today's electronic age, Conquering the Electron debunks the hero worship so often plaguing the stories of great advances.

Want to know how AT&T's Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology - and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work - and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place.

©2011 Derek Cheung and Eric Brach (P)2020 Tantor Engineering History History & Philosophy Physics Science World Technology Innovation
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Very informative, as an electrical engineers I really enjoyed listen to this audible. It listed all the great inventors and the work they do to contribution of electricity and electronics. It was very inspirational.

Great book looking in to the history of electronics.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
really interesting if you're in the industry. can be a bit dry at parts, but good depth of knowledge and overall very enjoyable

Amazing Book if you love IEEE

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is going to be quick review as I felt I just needed to give this book a boost. I think it is a must-read as we have grown ever reliant on our technology. It is important to remember how we discovered and put together our technology; otherwise it may remain in a black box for too many. In any case, it is a very engaging and informative read. I have many favorite parts. I love how both single elements of materials from Earth are covered in fair detail, as well as the very human stories behind pioneers in the field over time. I think there is still a lot more that could be written on certain aspects including more on the tech, but this is a fantastic standalone read.

Must-read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.