When freedom rang [Spectral Lines]

The Vietnam war and an unusual engineer prompted IEEE Spectrum??s first forays into controversy. At the tender age of 5, IEEE Spectrum had its first identity crisis, and it was a doozy. The year was 1969, and the United States was racked by intense social and political upheaval. The war in Vietnam was prompting huge demonstrations, and as that tumult inevitably seeped into the offices of Spectrum, the magazine was soon forced to decide whether it was going to incorporate timely journalism or be another academic journal, disconnected from the important issues of the day.