The Nobel Prize in Physics 1956

William Bradford Shockley

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

John Bardeen

Prize share: 1/3

Walter Houser Brattain

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1956 was awarded jointly to William Bradford Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain "for their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1956. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2020. Sat. 22 Feb 2020. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1956/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2019

Fifteen laureates were awarded in 2019, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen to our ability to fight global poverty.

See them all presented here.
2019 Nobel Laureates

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.