The Origins Of Silicon Valley
Most people of today have heard of Silicon Valley, the relatively small stretch of land in California that has become home to some of the world’s most powerful and wealthiest people as well as the companies that they own. It’s seen by many as the birthplace of the modern microchip, but also as the area that many of the technologies that we use every day were originally conceived.
What they might not know is how Silicon Valley came to be, and how old it really is. Here we will break down the earliest origins of Silicon Valley, including its meteoric rise to become one of the most valuable pieces of land on the planet.
The History Of The Valley
While today Silicon Valley may be an interconnected network of buildings and people, it wasn’t always so. The Santa Clara Valley can be found toward the southern end of San Francisco Bay, and during the 1960s, it was a region that was most well-known for its produce. Here, cherries, apricots, and prunes were among the biggest cash crops around, along with a modern packing and canning industry.
It’s only been in the last three decades that the name of the valley has become synonymous with the world of Big Tech, but it’s link to the electronics industry reaches back over 100 years thanks to a single man.
Frederick Terman was a professor of electrical engineering who worked at Stanford University, which can be found in the heart of the valley. Terman spent much of his life building the foundations of what would eventually become Silicon Valley as we know it today.
From The 19th Century
During the 19th century, the United States was beginning to provide regional electric power using hydroelectricity, many of which were based in Sierra Nevada. Much of the power was needed for the mining industry in San Francisco, but at the time engineers needed to bring the electricity through the city and others like it.
By the turn of the century, they had managed to do just that, and in the time being had created a new network of development and research that would later become the foundation of modern computing, which in turn would give rise to the internet, automation, casino bonus Canada games, and more.
Scientists, researchers, and engineers were known to exchange ideas and plans, as well as equipment, and it didn’t take long for the region to boom in terms of modern technology.
Stanford University
Being the central organisation of education in the area, Stanford University was home to much of the development and innovation that took place in Silicon Valley. One standout individual was Harris Ryan, who brought his expertise and research to the university to help install the very first high-voltage university.
It was a trend that continued for the rest of the century, creating a safe place for scientists to continue working on the technology of tomorrow. By the time that the 1970s came around and we started to work on modern computers, Silicon Valley was the original cradle of the microchip, one that would change the world forever.