An excerpt from Black Information Network -
Jerry Lawson: The Black Engineer Who Revolutionized The Video Game Industry
By Zuri Anderson
 Gerald "Jerry" Lawson - Photo: Jerry Lawson Estate |
The new generation of video game consoles is here, and we have one man to thank for making it possible: Jerry Lawson.
Gerald "Jerry" Lawson is a self-taught electrical engineer who took the gaming world by storm in the 1970s. Back then, the industry was a fledgling compared to the multi-billion dollar beast it is today.
Born on December 1, 1940, in New York City, the Brooklyn native was inspired by the work of scientist George Washington Carver. Dabbling with electronics, he eventually became one of the few engineers working in Silicon Valley at the time.
Lawson worked for a company called Fairchild Camera and Instrument when he pioneered a historic invention: the Fairchild Channel F. If you're wondering what the "F" means, it stands for fun! "Channel Fun," to be more specific.
What made the 1976 console special was that it was the first video game console to utilize cartridges, paving the way for consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Playstation, Xbox, and other popular consoles.
Unfortunately, Lawson never got much credit for his work over the years. He passed away in 2011 at age 70.
It wasn't until the recent decade that more people started becoming more acquainted with his influential work -- a legacy his two children are working to continue.
Anderson and Karen Lawson remembered their father as a "gentle giant" who tinkered with many electronics.
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