The evolution of electrical and electronics engineering and the Proceedings of the IRE: 1913-1937

This is a chronicle of how the Proceedings of the IRE documented and influenced the dramatic changes in telecommunications technology and electronics that took place during the years from 1913 through 1937, the first quarter century of the Institute of Radio Engineers. During these years, the vacuum tube evolved from a laboratory device of low power and frequency into a wide variety of mass-produced tubes suitable for a wide range of power levels and frequencies. The long-wave systems that dominated initially gave way to short-wave systems for international communication and radio broadcasting enjoyed spectacular growth. Electromechanical television that was introduced in the 1920s gave way to all-electronic television in the 1930s. Proceedings papers disclosed developments that marked the advent of microwave systems and applications of the differential analyzer that set the stage for the digital computer. The impacts of World War I and of the Great Depression that began in 1929 also were reflected in the Proceedings. Military enterprise exerted a strong influence on trends in the radio-electronics industry throughout the period.