There was little fanfare, less notice, though it was an important passing. Inventor Jack St. Clair Kilby departed from this Earth on June 21, 2005, at the age of 81. Kilby suffered a brief battle with cancer. His life was full. However, few knew of how he filled their lives.
Jack Kilby was a retired Texas Instruments engineer; he was an inventor. In 1958, he invented the first integrated circuit. This circuitry changed the world. It was as the wheel; it turned all that we ever knew around.
Without this innovation, the modern world would not be as it is. His invention is found in everything from desktop computers to microwave ovens. We find his chips in our wristwatches and in our cellular telephones. Pacemakers are also possible with thanks to Jack Kilby. Microelectronics moved the world. After the creation of these, miniaturization became our manner.
In 2000, Jack Kilby was recognized; he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared this acknowledgment with Robert Noyce. Separately, each invented the integrated circuit, though they did so at the same time. Neither man marveled at his own accomplishments. Both were humble; they were honored and willing to share their success.
Texas Instruments Chairman Tom Engibous said of the Kilby, "In my opinion, there are only a handful of people whose works have truly transformed the world and the way we live in it . . . Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Jack Kilby." Engibous continues, "If there was ever a seminal invention that transformed not only our industry but our world, it was Jack's invention of the first integrated circuit.”
We honor Jack St. Clair Kilby; he did life well and bettered our own.
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