Quartz crystal-a technology that changed the tide of World War
II
Some of the defining leaps in technology in the twentieth
century occurred during the Second World War, from radar to nuclear
energy. Often left out of historical discussions are quartz
crystals, which proved to be just as pivotal to the Allied
victory-and to post-war development-as other technologies. Quartz
crystals provided the U. S. military, for the first time, with
reliable communication on the front lines, and then went on to
become the core of some of the most basic devices of the post-war
era, from watches, clocks, and color televisions, to cell phones
and computers.
In Crystal Clear, Richard Thompson relates the story of
the quartz crystal in World War II, from its early days as a
curiosity for amateur radio enthusiasts, to its use by the United
States Armed Forces. It follows the intrepid group of scientists
and engineers from the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the
U. S. Army as they raced to create an effective quartz crystal unit.
They had to find a reliable supply of radio-quality quartz; devise
methods to reach, mine, and transport the quartz; find a way to
manufacture quartz crystal oscillators rapidly; and then solve the
puzzling "aging problem" that plagued the early units. Ultimately,
the development of quartz oscillators became the second largest
scientific undertaking in World War II after the Manhattan
Project.
Bringing to light a little-known aspect of World War II,
Crystal Clear offers a glimpse inside one of the most
significant efforts in the annals of engineering.
