Reindustrialize in Detroit: The Power of Proximity, from Bell Labs to the Solvay Conference
An essay in Surface magazine examines how unexpected gatherings can lead to innovation, with a spotlight on the Reindustrialize event in Detroit. At Bell Laboratories in the mid-20th century, patent lawyers discovered that significant inventions often arose from social connections, especially with Harry Nyquist, who held an impressive 138 patents. Jon Gertner highlights this in his book, The Idea Factory, while Swedish public radio referred to Nyquist as a "forgotten genius." Reindustrialize emerged as a response to two decades of software supremacy, starting with a dinner hosted by J.P. Morgan that brought together bankers and builders. By summer 2023, the event attracted materials scientists and venture capitalists, echoing historical gatherings like the 1927 Solvay Conference. The essay encourages seeking out spaces where diverse individuals converge.
Key facts
- Bell Laboratories patent lawyers found that prolific inventors tended to share breakfast or lunch with Harry Nyquist
- Harry Nyquist was a Swedish-born electrical engineer with 138 patents of his own
- Jon Gertner recounts the Bell Labs story in The Idea Factory
- Swedish public radio titled a program about Nyquist 'Ett bortglömt geni' (a forgotten genius)
- Reindustrialize was co-founded in part by Gregory Bernstein and held its latest edition in Detroit
- The fifth Solvay Conference convened in Brussels in October 1927 with 29 attendees, 17 of them Nobel laureates past or future
- Ernest Solvay, who endowed the conference institutes, died in 1922
- Alfred Loomis hosted Einstein, Fermi, Bohr, and Lawrence at his Tuxedo Park laboratory, where microwave-radar work fed into the MIT Radiation Laboratory
Entities
Artists
- Harry Nyquist
- Jon Gertner
- Gregory Bernstein
- Ernest Solvay
- Albert Einstein
- Niels Bohr
- Enrico Fermi
- Ernest Lawrence
- Alfred Loomis
- Nick Denton
Institutions
- Bell Laboratories
- Bell Labs
- The Idea Factory
- Swedish public radio
- Reindustrialize
- J.P. Morgan
- Solvay Conference
- MIT Radiation Laboratory
- Surface
Locations
- Detroit
- United States
- Brussels
- Belgium
- Tuxedo Park
- New York
- Murray Hill
- Sweden