Reader's Digest (May, 1953)

Fabulous Midget - THE TRANSISTOR

Here is a somewhat unusual item of transistor memorabilia. It is a small four page reprint of an article which was published in the May, 1953 issue of Reader's Digest. It had been condensed from the March 14, 1953 issue of the periodical "Science News Letter". I have no idea why the Reader's Digest would have reprinted this as a separate booklet. One can only imagine that it may have been commissioned by one of the major transistor manufacturers for use as an educational or public relations give away item. In any case, it makes for some fascinating reading, even a half century later.

NOTE: The page images will take some time to load... please be patient.

Probably the most prophetic observation was that the transistor's biggest contribution to human progress would be to reduce the size of "thinking machines" to a practical size. The introduction of personal computers in the 1980's certainly proved this statement to be true.

Return to main homepage