555 - History of a Benchmark
 

Right up there with the 8080 microprocessor and the 7400 digital IC is another industry benchmark still widely sold today - the 555 timer. Its story is a classic example of how innovation happens. It even includes crimainal prosecution and how profit can be lost by not recognizing an innovation until it is no longer innovative. The 555 still remains a profitable semiconductor 30 years later:
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