Chapter two: The Birth of the Metaverse “When the Metaverse was born, few Blacks were on the scene.”
1959 changed the world as we knew it. That was the year pioneering engineers introduced the microchip. Almost immediately, technology had capabilities unimaginable a few years earlier. Computers that once occupied entire buildings would soon be small enough to sit on a desk and, later, in the palm of your hand. Because of powerful microprocessors, computer modeling and simulations that took months would now happen in hours. And it was all because of the microchip, which ushered in the digital age and laid the groundwork for today’s metaverse.
Since the microchip was invented in the late 1950s, it has revolutionized computing. The microchip has allowed us to connect with data and information in unimaginable ways. The invention of the microchip made it possible to create the metaverse, a virtual world that has become increasingly important in our society. Without microchips, there would be no way to store the vast amount of data that makes up the metaverse. In addition, microchips are essential for providing the processing power needed to render computer graphics. But at the beginning of this “new era in integrated electronics," when new fortunes were being amassed and the industry redefined, Black people were relegated to the sidelines. At the time, only one historically Black college and university (HBCU) had an accredited engineering program. That was Howard University. It would be years before a coalition of industry leaders, private foundations, and educators from HBCUs succeeded in expanding opportunities for minorities in engineering and computer science programs at HBCU campuses. There were few Black people in technical leadership in 1959. With all the power the microchip released, the personalization of computing power was the next building block. And leading that advancement would be a Black engineer from Tennessee.
History and impact of the microchip In 2014, the City of Dallas proclaimed September 12 as Jack Kilby Day, and Texas Instruments (TI) celebrated the inventor by sharing the story of his creation to inspire students everywhere. According to TI, technology changed forever on Sept. 12, 1958. That was the day Kilby, a young TI engineer, invented the integrated circuit, which ushered in the era of modern electronics. According to his online biography, which Southern Methodist University hosts, Kilby showed an early
12
