The Cryotron Files

By Iain Dey, Douglas Buck,

Book cover of The Cryotron Files: The Untold Story of Dudley Buck, Cold War Computer Scientist and Microchip Pioneer

Book description

Dr. Dudley Allen Buck was a brilliant young scientist on the cusp of fame and fortune when he died suddenly on May 21, 1959, at the age of 32. He was the star professor at MIT and had done stints with the NSA and Lockheed. His latest invention, the Cryotron―an…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Cryotron Files as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Do you find value in today's tech? Can you imagine a world without our phones, computers, or the internet?

In the 1950s, a brilliant young man named Dudley Buck worked on creating circuitry small enough to shrink computers from massive, hulking machinery that took up entire buildings, into a device that could fit on a desk.

His supercooled "cryotron," an early microchip prototype, had the potential to give the United States a leg up in the nuclear missle arms race and the Space Race...until he (and a colleague) died suddenly. Absolutely amazing book.

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