Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: RCA and the Commercialization of the LCD

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Information: 215-873-8289 or bbl@chemheritage.org

When RCA executives announced the creation of the first liquid-crystal display (LCD) in 1968, the commercial possibilities seemed endless. As the nation's leader in consumer electronics, RCA was well-positioned to integrate LCDs into wristwatches, automobile dashboards, and perhaps even flat-panel televisions. Yet within a decade the company abandoned these efforts and sold its liquid-crystal manufacturing facilities. This Brown Bag Lecture explores the chain of events culminating in RCA's decision to abandon the LCD, from the perspective of the scientists, engineers, and managers associated with the project.

Benjamin Gross is a Ph.D. candidate in the history of science program at Princeton University and the 2009-2010 Charles C. Price Dissertation Fellow in Polymer History at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. His dissertation focuses on flat-panel display research at RCA between 1951 and 1976. Before applying to graduate school he taught Philadelphia public high-school students chemistry and physics as a member of Teach for America.