Downtown in Sacramento in Sacramento County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Invention of the Transistor
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 9, 2025
1. The Invention of the Transistor Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.
Location. 38° 34.724′ N, 121° 29.224′ W. Marker is in Sacramento, California, in Sacramento County. It is in Downtown. It is on J Street near 14th Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1407 J Street, Sacramento CA 95814, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Sacramento Valley and specifically in the Central Valley. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1936 Telephone Operators (here, next to this marker); 1958 Directory Operators (here, next to this marker); 1911 Telephone Man (a few steps from this marker); 1940s Splicer (a few steps from this marker); Bell Solar Battery (a few steps from this marker); 1937 Telephone Lineman (a few steps from this marker); First Commercial Modem (a few steps from this marker); Telstar I Satellite (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sacramento.
More about this marker. The marker and photo is one of a set of 29 found around two A&T-owned
this page online
Regarding The Invention of the Transistor. Work on developing transistors had begun by the 1930s but was unsuccessful before being paused during World War II. After the war, a Bell Labs sub-group led by William Shockley re-engaged in the efforts, and on December 23, 1947, Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain first demonstrated a working transistor for their Bell Labs colleagues. The finding was publicly announced in 1948, and the trio was awarded the Nobel Prize of Physics in 1956.
John Bardeen later taught at the University of Illinois, and in 1972 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics again, for the BCS Theory of semiconductors. He is the only person to win the award twice. Walter Brattain taught at Harvard and then at Whitman College in Washington State (his alma mater). Meanwhile, William Shockley's honors as a physicist were overshadowed later in his life as he became an infamous and outspoken eugenicist who believed that Blacks were an inferior race.
Also see . . .
1. History of the Transisto. TechSparks website entry (Submitted on October 16, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics ceremony speech. The presentation speech given in 1956 by E.G. Rudberg, a member of the Nobel Committee
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 9, 2025
2. The Invention of the Transistor photo and marker
Excerpt: "Doctor Shockley, Doctor Bardeen, Doctor Brattain. The summit of Everest was reached by a small party of ardent climbers. Working from an advance base, they succeeded. More than a generation of mountaineers had toiled to establish that base. Your assault on the semiconductor problem was likewise launched from a high-altitude camp, contributed by many scientists. Yours, too, was a supreme effort of foresight, ingenuity and perseverance, exercised individually and as a team. Surely, supreme joy befalls the man to whom those breathtaking vistas from the summit unfold. You must have felt it, overwhelmingly. This joy is now shared by those who laboured at the base. Shared, too, is the challenge of untrodden territory, now seen for the first time, calling for a new scientific attack."(Submitted on February 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Southern Poverty Law Center: William Shockley. Shockley, who was raised in California and is credited with inventing the transistor, became an ardent eugenicist later in his life, determined to prove Black racial inferiority. (Submitted on February 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 7, 2025
3. AT&T Building markers along J Street
Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on February 12, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
