For most people， gadgets like smart phones and wearable computers are nothing more than the magical little machines. However， they probably dont know who invented the first smart watch or the person who paved the way for smart refrigerators that can tell you when youre out of milk.

Many of the worlds biggest inventions that have made life possible and transformed entire industries came from the minds of overlooked and underrated geniuses.

Lets meet the talented men and women together whove shaped our reliance on and expectations for technology， but who arent as widely known as they should be.

对于大多数人来说，像智能手机和便携式计算机只是一些神奇的小电器。可是，人们大概并不知道是谁发明了第一款智能手表，也不知道谁为能告诉你什么时候没牛奶了的智能冰箱的发明铺平了路。

世界上有许多最伟大的发明，它们为我们实现了新的生活方式，革新了整个工业系统，而它们却都是源于一些被众人忽略与轻视的天才头脑。

让我们一起了解一下这些天才人物，是他们促生了我们对科技的依赖和期望，他们本应名声斐然，却鲜为人知。

1. Bertha Benz—Mother of Motoring

贝尔塔·本茨——汽车之母

Bertha Benz， the wife of the German engineer， Karl Benz， was a trailblzing woman and credited today with inventing the first modern car. Karl was apparently a genius engineer， but he didnt have the same business acumen or vision as his wife. He didnt even think to fit the vehicle with a fuel tank， but Bertha does.

贝尔塔·本茨是德国机械师卡尔·本茨的妻子，她是名具有开拓精神的女子，她为第一辆现代汽车的发明做出了不小的贡献。卡尔确实是个天才机械师，但他却不如妻子那样具有商业头脑和远见。他甚至没想过在汽车上装油箱，但是贝尔塔想到了。

2. Florence Parpart—Creator of The Modern Refrigerator

佛罗伦萨·帕帕特——现代冰箱的发明者

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 fiancés expertise in electrical circuitry to assist with the first prototype.Anyway， She is a talented woman.

1914年，佛罗伦萨·帕帕特，这位来自美国新泽西的家庭妇女，为自己的发明获得了一项专利，她发明了第一台电力驱使的现代冰箱，淘汰了冷柜（译注：里面放冰块以冷藏食物的冰箱）。人们认为她在研制第一代冰箱原型的时候可能借助了她的未婚夫在电路上的专业优势。不管怎样，她的确是一位天才妇女。

3. Marie Van Brittan Brown—Mother of Home Security Siren

玛丽·范·布里坦·布朗——家用安保系统之母

As a nurse who worked odd hours， Marie was concerned about the recent increase in crime and wanted to easily identify visitors at the door.

She with the help of her 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.

Patented in 1969， Maries invention is now the framework for modern home security， crime prevention， and traffic monitoring.

作为一名上班时间不固定的护士，玛丽对当时犯罪率的不断上升感到忧虑，她希望在家门口就能辨别来访的人是否安全。

她在作为电子机械师的丈夫艾伯特·布朗的帮助下发明了一种机械，这种机械装备有四个监控口，还有一个可活动的摄像头，摄像头可以上下移动，观测四个监控口中的情况。这种监控设备还能让家中主人遥控开门，或者触动按钮向周围邻居或安全公司发出警报。

玛丽的这项发明在1969年获得了专利，使其成为现代家庭安保设备，社会预防犯罪设施及交通监控设施得以发展的基本架构。

4. Edward Thorp—Father of Wearable Computer

爱德华·索普——可穿戴式电脑之父

Edward Thorp， MIT mathematics professor and Hedge Fund manager， loved beating the odds so much. In 1961， Thorp under the help of 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. And he used the wearable computer to help him win at casinos.

麻省理工大学的数学教授和“对冲基金”经理爱德华·索普喜欢战胜困难。1961年，索普在自己的合作者，在二战时期致力于密码编写和破译的相关研究的克劳德·香农的帮助下，发明了被公认为世界上第一台的可穿戴式电脑。他用可穿戴式电脑，在赌场里赢钱。