Boy this is really apropos of Alvy's book "Biography of a Pixel" (which I loved), and Alvy does such a thorough job of documenting the contributions of so many

Boy this is really apropos of Alvy's book "Biography of a Pixel" (which I loved), and Alvy does such a thorough job of documenting the contributions of so many people, flying in the face of our tendency to sweep the accomplishments of groups under the banner of one "hero" figure. Go read the book - it expertly mixes fascinating anecdotes with technical details to achieve that rare accomplishment of keeping you totally entertained while secretly making you smarter.