Genius, Innovation, and Jealousy: The Story of Bell Labs

History of Everything

For most of the 20th century, Bell Labs was the beating heart of American innovation. Founded in 1925 as the research arm of AT&T and Western Electric, it was the world’s preeminent industrial research laboratory. If you used a phone, accessed the internet, or wrote code, you were benefiting from Bell Labs' innovations—even if you didn’t realize it.

Bell Labs wasn’t just another corporate R&D division; it was a nation-state-level research operation embedded within the private sector. It didn’t just respond to markets—it created them.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices