Julius Blank
| Julius Blank | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 2, 1925 Manhattan, New York |
| Died | September 17, 2011 (aged 86) Los Altos Hills, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Physics |
| Alma mater | City College of New York (B.S, Mechanical Engineering) |
| Known for | Semiconductor pioneer |
Julius Blank (June 2, 1925 – September 17, 2011) was a semiconductor pioneer. A member of the so-called "traitorous eight", he left Nobel-winning physicist William Shockley's company to form Fairchild Semiconductor.
Blank was born and raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the youngest of three children of Jewish immigrants Charles and Gussie Blank. His father made musical-instrument cases and luggage, and also worked as a Russian translator.
Julius Blank attended Erasmus Hall High School, graduating at 15. He began taking classes at City College of New York while working at various jobs. His first job, in a factory, motivated him to learn more, and he attended a trade school as well.
“I decided I needed to get a little bit more knowledge about practical matters and I wanted to become a machinist. While I was going to school I went to another school at night at Brooklyn Tech where I learned how to operate lathes, machines, read blueprints, and that kind of stuff. I got a job as a machinist after that."
When he turned 18, he was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II. He reported for active duty on July 5, 1943. After basic infantry training, he was placed in the Army Specialized Training Program. In April 1944, he was sent overseas, where he was injured in December 1944 during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. He was subsequently transferred to the Air Corps to serve as a machinist for airplane parts to overhaul radial engines. He held a variety of positions during the war, gaining considerable experience in the practicalities of general engineering.
In 1946 he returned home, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York, financed by the G.I. Bill.
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