^I was inspired to read up on "who invented the transistor?"
   Should be a household name, like Edison, right? Without a
   transistor, we wouldn't have the microchip, no PCs, no Internet,
   right? WELL... what you'll find, when you get past the 3 guys
   from Bell Labs that jointly won the Nobel Prize, is all about
   patent attorneys, counterlawsuits, companies splitting off of
   companies (creation of Silicon Valley in the 60s) - and if you
   dig backwards, you get info about a Nazi scientist, furthur back
   you get crystal radios - and in the end, the muddly muddled mess
   explains that a lot of invention isn't always a guy pondering
   the nature of things, or a tinkerer trying to get something to
   WORK - but it is full of politics, intrigue, amateur magicians,
   hurt feelings... but my favorite guy among all of this is John
   Bardeen, winner of 2 Nobel prizes (transistor and
   superconductivity) - normal family guy, liked backyard BBQ and
   family vacations - yet was always thinking and trying to solve
   engineering problems in his head - yet never became a celebrity
   for it.^