Organizations that defined an industry

The electronics industry, and the computer and communications industries it spawned, are indebted to visionaries, men and women of near-legendary status who generally had the good fortune to labor at companies that provided an apt environment for their creative juices to flow. In our second installment of the "Millennium Series: The Century of the Engineer," EE Times takes a look at the seminal organizations that defined the evolution of the electronics industry.

Yet EEs can be excused for feeling the tug of nostalgia as they consider the twists and turns of the research breakthroughs spawned at the companies and one university profiled here. As we march into the 21st century, it's useful to pause and reflect on the organizations that made a difference in the 20th.

As with any list, this one is not complete. Many more could have been chosen besides the pioneers we highlight here.

In our opinion, however,these 11 stories exemplify the spirit that has marked the past hundred years as the Century of the Engineer.