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Birth
William Bradford Shockley Jr. is born in London, England -
Moves
Shockley moves to Los Angeles, California -
Enrolls at the California Institute of Technology
Shockley receives a bachelor's degree in Physics from the California Institute of Technology -
MIT
Shockley earns doctorate in physics from MIT. -
First time at Bell Labs
Shockley is hired by Bell Labs -
Solid-State Team
Shockley joins a research team at Bell Labs that focuses on studying solid state physics -
First transistor experiements
Early 1940, Shockley attempts and fails to build a copper-oxide amplifier. He gets helps from Walter Brattain, who also fails to make the invention work. -
Experiments with radar
In late 1940, Shockley works on improving radar at Bell Labs as part of the war effort. -
Work for U.S. Navy
Shockley begins civilian work for the U.S. Navy, working with depth charges, techniques to find enemy submarines, and ways to avoid enemy bombers. -
Work for the Army Air Forces
Shockley transitions focus of work to the Army Air Forces, which eventually becomes the U.S. Air Force. He worked to develop training methods for airmen who use radar. -
Return to Bell Labs
Shockley returns to Bell Labs following the approach of the end of the war. He continues work on a solid-state amplifier, but leaves development to others when his design fails. -
Improvement on point-contact transistor
Walter Brattain and John Bardeen develop the Point-Contact Transistor in 1947 under Shockley's management but without his significant involvement. Shockley, frustrated that he did not contribute more to the project, develops in secret the junction transistor, an improvement on the point contact transistor. He does not reveal it to his colleagues until mid-February. -
Shockley Semiconductor
Shockley founds the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Northern California, starting what becomes Silicon Valley. -
Nobel Prize
Shockley wins the 1956 Nobel Prize along with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. -
Death
Shockley dies in Stanford, California
