The integrated circuit is 50 years old today

Fifty years ago today Jack Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments, demonstrated what is today known as the first microchip. It wasn't much to look at (click on the picture on the left): some circuitry etched in a germanium medium, sandwiched between glass. But Kilby's little gimmick not only worked beautifully, it ended up revolutionizing the world. Everything from the computer on your desk to the television in your living room to the iPod in your pocket has a heart of silicon that is a lineal descendant of this odd blob of materials.

Click here for Custom PC's story commemorating the occasion of the integrated circuit's birth.