In The Idea Factory (2012), Jon Gertner tells the story of Bell Labs, the “idea factory” of the title. Bells Labs was established as the research & development arm of AT&T (once known as “Ma Bell”), which was committed to providing universal telephone service throughout the United States. The Bell Labs scientists would later invent the transistor and cellular telephony, among (many) other things, such as cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation.
A fascinating chapter in American industrial history.
Read reviews from the New York Times, BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal. And check out these sweet graphics from the Times and BW.
Read about the former Bell Labs complex in Holmdel, NJ, which is currently vacant (and which the town very much wants to redevelop), and see pictures of the facility here.
And who knew that the transistor was invented in Murray Hill, New Jersey?