But to understand why the Navy now looks uniquely suited to meeting missile defense needs, it is instructive to go back to the earliest days of the program, and trace how those needs have changed over time.

FORBES: Missile Defense Becomes A Navy Mission

Days later, she said, she used a program she had installed to trace Valle's keystrokes to learn that he had written hundreds of emails and instant messages chronicling how he and his Internet pals would kidnap, rape, kill, cook and eat various women.

WSJ: Alleged targets testify at NYC cannibal-plot trial

It's almost a certainty that if you're listening to this program now you're using tiny electronic devices that can trace their heritage back to the mind of William Shockley.

NPR: Electronics Pioneer William Shockley's Legacy