World & Tech Milestones

James Clerk Maxwell and his equations
In 1865, James Clerk Maxwell published the “second greatest unification in physics” since Newton.

The First Laser
Theodore Maiman built the first working laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation).

The Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell sent the first voice message over a telegraph wire in 1876.

The Modern Lightbulb
Thomas Edison (the man with 1093 patents) demonstrated the first practical lightbulb in 1879.

Radio Waves are Real!
In 1886, radio waves were transmitted and received for the first time by Heinrich Hertz.

The World’s Smallest Computer
The Michigan Micro Mote is a fully autonomous computing system that acts as a smart sensing system.

The First All-Electronic Computer
The Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer was the first large-scale computer to run at electronic speed.

HP + Silicon Valley
Bill Hewlett and David Packard finalized their partnership in January 1939 after supplying oscillators to Disney.

The Invention of LASIK Eye Surgery
LASIK surgery came about thanks to ultrafast femtosecond lasers, the direct result of Michigan research.

Human Computers
“Human computers” were often utilized in order to solve mathematical problems and process data.

The First Terahertz Tech in Space
The NASA Center for Space Terahertz Technology pioneered the development of Terahertz antenna arrays.

The Radio is Invented
In 1896, at the age of 22, Guglielmo Marconi first demonstrated wireless transmission by radio.

The Early History of Microprocessing
ECE alum Lee Boysel and his team created the first single-chip CPU microprocessor.

Emmett Leith: Modern Holography
Leith made holography a reality, stunning the world with his holographic train in 1964.

Michigan’s First Materials Center
Center for Photonic and Multiscale Nanomaterials focuses on controlling light interactions with matter.

Sponsored Research to the Midwest
Department Chair William Gould Dow was responsible for bringing industry- and government-sponsored research to Michigan.

First in Quantum Dots
Prof. Battacharya was instrumental in early understanding of the tiny semiconductor particles called quantum dots.

First in Wireless Integrated Systems
The first Research Center in Wireless Integrated Microsensing and Systems forged advances in many fields.

IEEE formed from AIEE and IRE
In 1963, two organizations merged to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE.

The Transistor
John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain invented the transistor in 1947.

The Michigan Probe
Extremely accurate probes us a variety of technologies to make mapping the brain with light possible.

NASA is formed
Department Chair William Gould Dow was a charter member of the group responsible for its founding.