Television has made it possible for people around the world to share in many different experiences – sports , music shows , films , and more .
电视让世界各地的人们能够共享许多不同的体验——体育、音乐节目、电影等等。
Yet many people would find it difficult to name the inventor of the television .
然而，很多人可能说不出电视发明者的名字。
They might also be surprised to learn that the inventor came up with the idea when he was just fourteen years old .
他们可能还会惊讶地发现，这位发明家想出这个点子时只有十四岁。
Today , we explore the life of one of the great inventors of 20th century America : Philo Taylor Farnsworth .
今天，我们来了解20世纪美国伟大发明家之一——菲洛·泰勒·法恩斯沃思的一生。
Philo Farnsworth was born in August 1906 , near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah .
菲洛·法恩斯沃思1906年8月出生于美国西部犹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 .
他生命最初几年住的房子没有电。
But Philo read about electricity and quickly began to experiment with it .
但菲洛读了有关电的知识，很快就开始做电的实验。
One night , Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air .
一天晚上，菲洛在杂志上读到一篇文章，讲的是通过空中传送图像和声音的设想。
The story said some of the world's best scientists were working on the idea .
文章说，世界上一些最优秀的科学家正在研究这个设想。
It said these scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures .
文章说，这些科学家正在用特殊的机器，试图制造一种传送图像的装置。
Fourteen-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong .
十四岁的菲洛认定这些著名科学家都错了。
He decided that mechanical devices would never work .
他认为机械装置永远行不通。
Philo believed such a device would have to be electronic .
菲洛相信，这样的装置必须是电子的。
Philo knew electrons could be made to move very fast .
菲洛知道，可以让电子移动得非常快。
All he would have to do was find a way to make electrons do the work .
他要做的，只是找到办法让电子来完成这项工作。
Soon , Philo had an idea for such a receiver .
很快，菲洛就想出了这样一种接收器的构想。
It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons .
它会把光困在一个容器里，再让光沿着一列电子传送出去。
Philo called it “light in a bottle .”
菲洛称之为“瓶中之光”。
Several days later , Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures .
几天后，菲洛向老师讲述了一种可以捕捉图像的装置。
He drew a plan for it and gave it to his teacher .
他画了一张设计图交给老师。
Philo's drawing seemed very simple .
菲洛的图看上去非常简单。
But it still clearly showed the information needed to build a television .
但它仍清楚地展示了制造电视机所需的信息。
Philo's teacher was Justin Tolman .
菲洛的老师是贾斯汀·托尔曼。
Many years later , Philo would credit Mr . Tolman with guiding his imagination and helping him open the doors of science .
多年以后，菲洛将引导自己的想象力、帮助自己打开科学大门的功劳归于托尔曼老师。
In September 1927 , Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver .
1927年9月，菲洛打开了一台装置，这是第一台能正常工作的电视接收机。
In another room was the first television camera .
另一个房间里放着第一台电视摄像机。
Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year .
菲洛在那年早些时候发明了这种特殊的摄像管。
While the image produced on the receiver was not very clear , the device worked .
虽然接收机上的图像不太清晰，但这台装置确实能用。
Within a few months , Philo had found several people who wanted to invest money in his invention .
几个月之内，菲洛就找到了几位愿意投资他发明的人。
In August 1930 , the United States government gave Philo patent documents .
1930年8月，美国政府向菲洛颁发了专利证书。
These documents aimed to protect his invention from being copied by others .
这些证书旨在保护他的发明不被他人仿制。
Still , he became involved in legal disputes with a powerful company at the time known as RCA .
尽管如此，他还是与当时一家名为RCA的强大公司陷入了法律纠纷。
Philo won the disputes but faced many business and financial difficulties in his life .
菲洛赢得了这些纠纷，但一生中面临许多商业和财务上的困难。
He developed more than 100 devices that helped make modern television possible .
他研发了100多种装置，为现代电视的诞生做出了贡献。
He also developed early radar , invented the first electronic microscope , and worked on developing peaceful uses of atomic energy .
他还研制了早期雷达，发明了第一台电子显微镜，并致力于开发原子能的和平用途。
Philo Farnsworth died in March of 1971 .
菲洛·法恩斯沃思于1971年3月去世。
He is considered one of the most important inventors of the 20th century .
他被认为是20世纪最重要的发明家之一。