The evolution of electrical and electronics engineering and the Proceedings of the IRE: 1938-62

The author chronicles the way in which the Proceedings of the IRE documented and influenced the changes in electronic devices and systems that took place during the years from 1938 through 1962. The first years of this period were dominated by World War II and the development of radar systems and related devices such as the high-power cavity magnetron and the klystron. The first decade after the war brought the rapid development of television, digital computers, and the transistor. An important structural change that affected the Proceedings took place in 1948, when the IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) established the professional group system. The period from 1956 through 1962 brought the advent of the space age, the integrated electronic circuit, and the laser. The Proceedings recorded another major institutional change in 1962, when the membership of the IRE voted to approve a merger with the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) to form the IEEE