The 1N4148: The Signal Diode That Ended Up Everywhere
owl writes:
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/the-1n4148-the-signal-diode-that-ended-up-everywhere/
Texas Instruments announced the 1N914 silicon switching diode in 1960. Within a year of its JEDEC registration in 1961, 11 manufacturers were second-sourcing it. The 1N4148 followed in 1968 with a tighter leakage current specification aimed at military and industrial applications, and it gradually became the default part number.
Today, the 1N4148 is manufactured by Onsemi, Vishay, Nexperia, Diodes Inc., and dozens of other vendors worldwide. It ships in the original glass DO-35 axial package and in every common surface-mount form factor. No end-of-life has been announced, and none is expected; it's still the most widely produced discrete switching diode in history.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.