Interactive Timeline
Explore the chronological history of major Bell Labs innovations and AT&T Long Lines developments.
1925
Bell Telephone Laboratories Founded
Bell Labs was established as a separate entity from Western Electric research laboratories.
1947
Invention of the Transistor
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invented the transistor, revolutionizing electronics.
1951
First Transcontinental Microwave System
AT&T completed the first coast-to-coast microwave relay system for telephone and television transmission.
1958
First Communications Satellite
Project Echo, the first passive communications satellite, was launched in collaboration with NASA.
1969
UNIX Operating System
Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie developed UNIX, revolutionizing operating systems.
1984
Breakup of AT&T
The Bell System was broken up, marking the end of the traditional AT&T Long Lines network as it had existed.