Preface

ON MAY 13, just 75 years ago, a group of men interested in electricity, many of whom were telegraph electricians, founded the AIEE. The objectives then were much the same as they are today — namely to hold meetings, to read and discuss professional papers, and to circulate the information by means of publication, as well as to promote “social intercourse.” Today, the organization is comprised of over 45,000 members, 10,000 students, and 56 technical committees with several hundred subcommittees in six broad technical divisions. In passing, it is interesting to note that in the Institute´s first paper, “Notes on Phenomena in Incandescent Lamps” by Professor Edwin J. Huston, attention was focused on the high-vacuum phenomena observed by Mr. Edison in incandescent lamps and known as “the Edison effect,” which was a forerunner of the great electronic industry of today.