(Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL, www.motorola.com) A leading manufacturer of semiconductor devices, electronics, telecommunications and satellite systems. Founded in Chicago in 1928 by Paul V. Galvin as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, its first product allowed radios to operate from household current instead of batteries. In the 1930s, the company commercialized car radios under the Motorola brand suggesting "sound in motion." In 1937, it introduced a line of home radios and its first two-way radio products. By 1947, its Motorola brand became so popular that the company changed its name to match.
Motorola's first semiconductor plant was operating in 1953, and by the 1960s, the company was a leader in semiconductors, communications and consumer electronics. It produced its first integrated circuits in 1960 and its first microprocessor in 1974, the same year that it sold its color TV business.
In the computer industry, Motorola is widely known for its 68000 and PowerPC microprocessor families. It is also one of the world's largest suppliers of microcontrollers (computers on a single chip). The company has more than 40,000 items in its product line used in a myriad of radio, communications, automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
This picture was taken of Paul Galvin (left) and his brother Joseph, circa 1930. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
In 1930, Motorola produced the first commercially successful car radio, which had to be installed by the dealer. By the early 1940s, Motorola was becoming a household word. (Images courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
The first all-transistor radio from Motorola was introduced in 1959. The pocket radio was soon to become very popular. (Image courtesy of Motorola Museum of Electronics.)
Considering Motorola's electronics history, it was only natural that it became a major force in the semiconductor field. (Image courtesy of Motorola, Inc.)
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