是誰創造了這些改變世界的發明

For most people, gadgets like smart phones and wearables are nothing more than the magical little machines that make it easier to do things like Facebook-stalk an ex in that Monday morning meeting. However, they probably don’t know who invented the first smart watch or the person who paved the way for “smart refrigerators” that can tell you when you’re out of milk。

對於大多數人來說，像智能手機和便攜式計算機這樣的小玩意只是一些神奇的小電器，它們能爲人們提供便利，比如讓你在週一的會議上用臉書網人肉搜索前任的蹤跡。可是，人們大概並不知道是誰發明了第一款電子手錶，也不知道誰爲能告訴你什麼時候沒牛奶了的“智能冰箱”發明鋪平了路。

Many of the world’s biggest inventions that have made life possible and transformed entire industries came from the minds of overlooked and underrated geniuses. Meet the men and women who’ve shaped our reliance on and expectations for technology, but aren’t as widely known as they should be。

世界上有許多最偉大的發明，它們爲我們實現了新的生活方式，革新了整個工業系統，而它們卻都是源於一些被衆人忽略，懷才不遇的天才頭腦。瞭解一下這些天才吧，是他們促生了我們對科技的依賴和期望，他們本應名聲斐然，卻鮮爲人知。

ha Benz, Mother of Motoring (1849-1944)

貝爾塔-本茨 汽車之母

Bertha Benz was the trailblazing wife of the German engineer, Karl Benz, credited today with inventing the first modern car. Karl was apparently a genius engineer, but he didn’t have the same business acumen or vision as his wife (he didn’t even think to fit the vehicle with a fuel tank)。

貝爾塔-本茨是德國機械師卡爾·本茨的妻子，她是名具有開拓精神的女子，她爲第一輛現代汽車的發明做了不小的貢獻。她的丈夫卡爾確實是個天才的機械師，但他卻不如妻子那樣具有商業頭腦和遠見(他甚至沒想到在汽車上裝上油箱。)

2. Florence Parpart, Creator of The Modern Refrigerator (Early 20th Century)

佛羅倫薩-帕帕特，現代冰箱的發明者

In 1914, Florence Parpart - a housewife from New Jersey - won a patent for the first modern refrigerator that used electricity, rendering the icebox obsolete. It is believed that she may have used her fiancé’s expertise in electrical circuitry to assist with the first prototype。

在1914年，佛羅倫薩-帕帕特——一位來自美國新澤西的家庭婦女——爲自己的發明獲得了一項專利，她發明了第一臺電力驅使的現代冰箱，淘汰了冷藏庫。人們相信她在研製第一代冰箱原型的時候一定藉助了她的未婚夫在電路上的專業優勢。

3. Marie Van Brittan Brown, Home Security Siren (1922-1999)

瑪麗-範-布里坦-布朗，家用安保系統

As a nurse who worked odd hours, she was concerned about the recent uptick in crime and wanted to easily identify visitors at the door。

作爲一名上班時間不固定的護士，瑪麗對當時犯罪率的不斷上升感到憂慮，她希望能夠在家門口就能辨別來訪的人是否安全。

She and husband Albert Brown, an electronics technician, devised a mechanism featuring four peep holes and a motorized camera, which could slide up and down to look out each one. The surveillance device also gave a homeowner the ability to unlock the door with a remote control, or press a button to alert a nearby neighbor or security firm。

她和作爲電子機械師的丈夫艾伯特·布朗發明了一種機械，這種機械備有四個監控口，還有一個可活動的攝像頭，攝像頭可以上下移動，觀測四個監控口中的情況。這種監控設備還能讓家中主人遙控開門，或者觸動按鈕向周圍鄰居或安全公司發出警示。

Patented in 1969, the Browns’ invention is now the framework for modern home security, crime prevention, and traffic monitoring。

設備在1969年獲得了專利，布朗的這項發明成爲了現代家庭安保設備，社會預防犯罪設施，交通監控設施得以發展的基本架構。

4. Edward Thorp, Father of Wearable Computing

愛德華-索普，可穿戴式電腦之父

MIT mathematics professor and hedge fund manager Edward Thorp loved beating the odds so much that in 1961 he invented the world’s first wearable computer to help him win at casinos。

麻省理工大學的數學教授和對衝基金經理——愛德華-索普喜歡戰勝困難，就此在1961年，他發明了世界上第一臺可穿戴式電腦，幫助他在賭場裏贏錢。

Thorp and his co-conspirator, professor Claude Shannon, who had worked on cryptography and code-breaking during World War II, created what is widely regarded as the first wearable computer。

索普和自己的合作者——在二戰時期致力於密碼編寫和破譯的相關研究的克勞德-香農共同發明了被公認爲世界上第一臺的可穿戴式電腦。