Television has made it possible for people around the world to share in many different experiences – sports , music shows , films , and more .
電視讓世界各地的人們能夠共享許多不同的體驗——體育、音樂節目、電影等等。
Yet many people would find it difficult to name the inventor of the television .
然而，很多人可能說不出電視發明者的名字。
They might also be surprised to learn that the inventor came up with the idea when he was just fourteen years old .
他們可能還會驚訝地發現，這位發明家想出這個點子時只有十四歲。
Today , we explore the life of one of the great inventors of 20th century America : Philo Taylor Farnsworth .
今天，我們來了解20世紀美國偉大發明家之一——菲洛·泰勒·法恩斯沃斯的一生。
Philo Farnsworth was born in August 1906 , near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah .
菲洛·法恩斯沃斯1906年8月出生於美國西部猶他州的印第安溪附近。
The house he lived in for the first few years of his life had no electricity .
他人生最初幾年住的房子沒有電。
But Philo read about electricity and quickly began to experiment with it .
但菲洛讀了有關電的知識，很快就開始做電的實驗。
One night , Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air .
一天晚上，菲洛在雜誌上讀到一篇文章，講的是透過空中傳送影像和聲音的構想。
The story said some of the world's best scientists were working on the idea .
文章說，世界上一些最優秀的科學家正在研究這個構想。
It said these scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures .
文章說，這些科學家正在用特殊的機器，試圖製造一種傳送影像的裝置。
Fourteen-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong .
十四歲的菲洛認定這些著名科學家都錯了。
He decided that mechanical devices would never work .
他認為機械裝置永遠行不通。
Philo believed such a device would have to be electronic .
菲洛相信，這樣的裝置必須是電子式的。
Philo knew electrons could be made to move very fast .
菲洛知道，可以讓電子移動得非常快。
All he would have to do was find a way to make electrons do the work .
他要做的，只是找到辦法讓電子來完成這項工作。
Soon , Philo had an idea for such a receiver .
很快，菲洛就想出了這樣一種接收器的構想。
It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons .
它會把光困在一個容器裡，再讓光沿著一列電子傳送出去。
Philo called it “light in a bottle .”
菲洛稱之為「瓶中之光」。
Several days later , Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures .
幾天後，菲洛向老師講述了一種可以捕捉影像的裝置。
He drew a plan for it and gave it to his teacher .
他畫了一張設計圖交給老師。
Philo's drawing seemed very simple .
菲洛的圖看起來非常簡單。
But it still clearly showed the information needed to build a television .
但它仍清楚地呈現了製造電視機所需的資訊。
Philo's teacher was Justin Tolman .
菲洛的老師是賈斯汀·托爾曼。
Many years later , Philo would credit Mr . Tolman with guiding his imagination and helping him open the doors of science .
多年以後，菲洛將引導自己的想像力、幫助自己打開科學大門的功勞歸於托爾曼老師。
In September 1927 , Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver .
1927年9月，菲洛打開了一台裝置，這是第一台能正常運作的電視接收機。
In another room was the first television camera .
另一個房間裡放著第一台電視攝影機。
Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year .
菲洛在那年稍早發明了這種特殊的攝像管。
While the image produced on the receiver was not very clear , the device worked .
雖然接收機上的影像不太清晰，但這台裝置確實能用。
Within a few months , Philo had found several people who wanted to invest money in his invention .
幾個月之內，菲洛就找到了幾位願意投資他發明的人。
In August 1930 , the United States government gave Philo patent documents .
1930年8月，美國政府向菲洛頒發了專利證書。
These documents aimed to protect his invention from being copied by others .
這些證書旨在保護他的發明不被他人仿製。
Still , he became involved in legal disputes with a powerful company at the time known as RCA .
儘管如此，他還是與當時一家名為RCA的強大公司陷入了法律糾紛。
Philo won the disputes but faced many business and financial difficulties in his life .
菲洛贏得了這些糾紛，但一生中面臨許多商業和財務上的困難。
He developed more than 100 devices that helped make modern television possible .
他研發了100多種裝置，為現代電視的誕生做出了貢獻。
He also developed early radar , invented the first electronic microscope , and worked on developing peaceful uses of atomic energy .
他還研製了早期雷達，發明了第一台電子顯微鏡，並致力於開發原子能的和平用途。
Philo Farnsworth died in March of 1971 .
菲洛·法恩斯沃斯於1971年3月去世。
He is considered one of the most important inventors of the 20th century .
他被認為是20世紀最重要的發明家之一。