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Without the integrated circuit or the microchip, we would not have the plethora of devices we have today. In honor of the circuit’s 50th birthday, Wired has come up with a gallery devoted to the little devices.  

On September 12, 2008, Jack Kilby demonstrated the very first integrated circuit at Texas Instruments. And though it might not look like much, the integrated circuit paved the way for all the technology we love today from computers to Blu-ray players.

Because of the integrated circuit, what once filled up entire rooms with vacuum tubes could be condensed down into a small area. And it wasn’t long after that the microchip followed. To be trite, the rest was history. But really, it’s only been 50 years since this roughly put together circuit was created. Just look at how far we’ve come.

[via Wired]