Jack Kilby was a physichist who invented the integrated-circuit in 1958. After it, microprocessor was developed (the machine which gives live to computers, barcode readers, modern TV sets, mobile phones, etc, etc, etc...)
Zhores Alferov and Herbert Kroemer developed high-speed semiconductors, and they receive the physichs Nobel award together to Kilby in year 2000.
For humanity, only 3 people names, but too much to thank! Thank one more time to the knowledge