Why is the introduction of the transistor a major turning point in history?

            To put it simply, a transistor is an electronic component that can do two different jobs. It can act as an amplifier or a switch, depending on the need.

            As an amplifier, a transistor does the job of boosting current. That is, it takes in a tiny input current at one end and produces a bigger output current at the other end.

            It was at the Bell Laboratories in New Jersey that transistor was demonstrated for the first time. That happened on December 23rd, 1947. William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain are the three persons credited with its invention.

            In 1956, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect”.