Conquering the Electron cover art

Conquering the Electron

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

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Conquering the Electron

By: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
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About this listen

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 & Culture History & Philosophy Physics Science World Invention Innovation

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All stars
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A comprehensive history of the discovery, understanding and control of the electron. It's fascinating to find out about these developments and the controversies which always make science so human. The main reason I'm writing this review is to counter the review which says this book doesn't give credit to the discoverers or is America-centric. I could not disagree more. Full credit is given to the discoverers/innovators whatever their nationality. In addition it was very interesting to hear the views (where appropriate) of the authors dealings with some of the big names in this book

Great over view of the discovery and use of the e-

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an excellent book from an author who made a deep research in history and understands phydics

Excellent!

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unbelievable detail of how the science of it all affected everyone commercially, politically and personally over the last 200 years

science, history and business in one

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One interesting fact missing from the Magnetron Story is that it was carried as hand luggage across the Atlantic on a passenger liner and not by the Royal Navy.

Fantastic work and performance.

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Needed better editing really but as part of the plus catalogue a decent read "if" you already have some understanding of this area of history
One relentlessly repetitive issue is present as with most American publications.
Like others it's desperate to claim almost everything as an American invention, and is rather begrudging when other countries are mentioned.
Another example is the chapter on computers. Zero mention made of Charles Babbage! How do you miss out the pioneer? Also Alan Turing and the Colossus are almost mentioned almost as a sidenote.
WW2 history is also just wrong. It states clearly that the British royal Navy had no real submarine wing when in fact the British submariner service was larger than the German's at the start of the war!
That is sloppy research.

Interesting if a bit slow, and inaccurate at times

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Brilliantly written, and clinically narrated. It just flowed and was very listenable.

There was an almost perfect mix of technical detail and storytelling.

Thank you!

Amazing

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A thorough and detailed examination of the history, science and technology around humanities relationship with the electron. I listened at 1.1x playback speed as I found the narration a little too considered. Otherwise excellent.

Absolutely outstanding

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Everything electronic in one amazing book. Telegraph, telephone, transistors, television, radio, radar, calculators, computers, consumer electronics, RCA, Intel, Texas Instruments, Sharp, Sony, TSMC etc etc

A perfect book that is precisely detailed with just the right amount of information to do every subject and story justice.

A must-read for anyone interested in electronics

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lasted 5 hours before I couldn't listen anymore. it has a simplistic and boring writing style. The narrator is trying to be carl sagen but without the wonder instilling enthusiasm. the book is a highly americanized butt kissing and back patting bore. example talks explicitly about Eddison and negates Tesla and calls him westinghouse. it is also business and economic oriented, science is a side note

boring writing style and Americanized

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