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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Xmas tree light trivia
Message-ID: <1858@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 89 16:22:39 GMT
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 24

I recall reading an apochryphal story in one of the AT&T
publications a number of years ago.  The legend goes that some Bell
employee thought of stringing up annunciator lamps from a
switchboard to supplant the use of real candles as decorations on
xmas trees.  Later, Lee DeForrset built his first few vacuum tubes
from parts of xmas tree lamps which in turn were descendents of the
old swithbaord lamps.  Another AT&T first by proxy, or so the story
goes.

The DeForrest tubes were sold to the US Navy each individually
placed in a wooden box for use as radio detectors.  The Navy
operators found that the tubes were more sensitive when the
heater voltage was increased.  Of course, the tubes didn't last
very long, and the Navy scrapped DeForrest's tubes as an
interesting curiousity but not useful.  Another example of
governmental efficiency.

I also recall an interesting little thin paperback book, "The Birth
and Babyhood of the Telephone", published by Bell Telephone in the
1960s which was a reflection on the early days by Mr. Watson.  There
were a number of good war stories from the early years.


Bill