THE RECORD
What changed
Kilby demonstrated a germanium integrated circuit in 1958; Noyce proposed a silicon planar version in 1959.
EVIDENCE
What remains
Devices, patents, process records and early military and space orders document industrialization.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Packing more function onto chips drove the semiconductor revolution and networked devices.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
Co-invention and patent disputes resist a single-inventor story; production has global and environmental costs.