A liquid crystal display, or LCD, is a flat-panel display that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to show information. The Austrian botanist Friedrich Reinitzer first described the liquid crystal properties behind the technology in 1888, and George H. Heilmeier at RCA built the first operational LCD in the 1960s using a dynamic scattering mode; Wolfgang Helfrich and Martin Schadt filed the twisted nematic patent in Switzerland in 1970, and T. Peter Brody's team at Westinghouse prototyped active-matrix thin-film-transistor LCD technology in 1972. By the late 2000s LCDs had replaced the heavier, less energy-efficient cathode-ray tube in nearly all applications, becoming the standard display for televisions, computer monitors and mobile devices.
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountWork by George H. Heilmeier at RCA on the dynamic scattering mode produced the first operational liquid crystal display; he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and credited with the invention of the LCD, and the achievement is recognized as an IEEE Milestone. 1 Sources
1. Liquid Crystal Display (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, 1960s paragraph on Heilmeier
In 1964, George H. Heilmeier, who was working at the RCA laboratories on the effect discovered by Richard Williams, achieved the switching of colors by field-induced realignment of dichroic dyes in a homeotropically oriented liquid crystal.
History section, 1960s paragraph on Heilmeier, closing sentences
George H. Heilmeier was inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame and credited with the invention of LCDs. Heilmeier's work is an IEEE Milestone.
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