改变世界的101项小发明
英国《独立报》近日评选出改变世界的101项小发明。人们的吃穿用住行各个方面，几乎无所不包，从“电子时代”之后出现的一系列现代科技产品如手机、电脑、互联网、iPod，到年代久远的日常用品如纽扣、水壶、雨伞都位列其中。中国古代四大发明--造纸、活字印刷、火药和指南针--也全部榜上有名。在这里，我们选取了一些和大家生活息息相关的小发明，以飨读者。
The British newspaper The Independent in its November 3 issue compiled a list of 101 inventions which have changed our world. Included in the list are not only modern high-tech products such as the mobile phone, the computer, the digital camera and iPod, but also many small household articles such as the paper clip*, the lock, the button and the pencil. Here we list the 101 inventions, and introduce some in detail.
Abacus, AD190 算盘
Use of the abacus, invented by the Chinese, was first documented in about AD190 during the Han Dynasty. It was the speediest way to do sums for centuries and, in the right hands, can still outpace* electronic calculators.
Barcode, 1973 条形码
Barcodes were invented as a kind of visual Morse code* by a Philadelphia student in 1952, but retailers were slow to take up the technology, which could be unreliable. That changed in the early 1970s when the same student, Norman Woodland, then employed by IBM, devised the Universal Product Code. Since then, black stripes* have appeared on almost everything we buy.
Bicycle, 1861 自行车
The renowned 19th-century U.S. feminist Susan B Anthony said in an interview in 1896: "I think (the bicycle) has done more to emancipate* women than anything else in the world." First devised as a gentleman's play thing in the 1820s, the push-powered bike quickly developed to become the most classless form of transport. The French version, invented in 1861 by Pierre Marchaux, is widely considered to be the first true bicycle.
Biro, 1938 圆珠笔
Had the Hungarian journalist Laszlo José Biró kept the patent* for the world's first ballpoint pen, his estate (he died in 1985) would be worth billions. As it happened, Biró sold the patent to one Baron* Bich of France in 1950. Today around 14 million "Biros" are sold every day, perhaps making the pen the world's most successful gadget*.
Button, 1235 纽扣
Which came first, the button or the buttonhole? The button; the ancient Greeks fastened cloths using crude* buttons. The earliest evidence comes from 13th-century German sculptures, which show tunics* featuring six buttons running from neck to waist. Today, 60 percent of the world's buttons are made in one Chinese town, Qiaotou, which makes 15 billion buttons a year.
Fire, 590,000BC 火
Fire, like air or water, is nothing new -- but the ability to control it is. Well, quite new. Evidence suggests early man used fire more than a million years ago, but the earliest signs that we had learned to command it date from nearly 800,000 years ago.
Microscope, 1590 显微镜
When the British polymath* Robert Hooke published his 1665 masterpiece, "Micrographia," people were confused by its depictions of the miniature world. Until then, few people knew that fleas* had hairy legs or that plants comprised cells. Zacharias Janssen, a Dutch spectacle* maker, had invented the first microscope in 1590, although it was then regarded as a novelty* rather than a revolution in science.
Mobile phone, 1947 手机
There are more than two billion mobile phones in the world. It is difficult to quantify the economic and social impact of the device, but it is surely the one we would be worst off without. Those who disagree can blame Bell Laboratories for their invention; the firm introduced the first service in Missouri in 1947.
Swiss Army Knife, 1897 瑞士军刀
Every camper's favorite multitool was originally called the Offiziersmesser (officer's knife). It originated in Schwyz, Switzerland, more than 100 years ago, after a surgical equipment manufacturer was dismayed* to learn Germany supplied the Swiss army with knives.
TV remote control, 1950 电视遥控器
It is no surprise that the first remote control, made by the U.S. company Zenith Electronics, was quickly nicknamed "Lazybones." The device, originally linked to the television by a wire, enabled generations of couch potatoes to sit back. In 1955, Zenith released the first wireless remote, the "Flashmatic."
The full list (In alphabetic order)
1. Abacus, AD190
2. Archimedes Screw, 700BC
3. Aspirin, 1899
4. Atari 2600, 1977
5. Barbed wire, 1873
6. Barcode, 1973
7. Battery, 1800
8. Bicycle, 1861
9. Biro, 1938
10. Blackberry, 1999
11. Bow and arrow, 30,000BC
12. Bra, 1913
13. Button, 1235
14. Camcorder, 1983
15. Camera, 1826
16. Cardiac pacemaker, 1958
17. CD, 1965
18. Clockwork radio, 1991
19. Compass, 1190
20. Condom, 1640
21. Credit card, 1950
22. Digital camera, 1975
23. Digital TV recorder, 1999
24. Digital watch, 1972
25. Drum, 12,000BC
26. Dynamite, 1867
27. Electric shaver, 1928
28. Eraser, 1770
29. Fax machine, 1843
30. Fibre optic cable, 1966
31. Fire, 590,000BC
32. Fish hook, 30,000BC
33. Floppy disk, 1971
34. Flushing toilet, 1597
35. Fridge, 1834
36. Gore-Tex, 1972
37. GPS, 1978
38. Guillotine, 1792
39. Gun, 14th century
40. Internal combustion engine, 1859
41. iPod, 2001
42. Kettle, 1891
43. Laptop, 1982
44. Laser, 1960
45. Lawnmower, 1830
46. Lead pencil, 1564
47. Light bulb, 1848
48. Locks, 2000BC
49. Machine gun, 1884
50. Mechanical clock, 1092
51. Microchip, 1958
52. Microscope, 1590
53. Microwave oven, 1946
54. Mobile phone, 1947
55. Mouse, 1964
56. Nintendo Gameboy, 1989
57. Noise-cancelling headphones, 1988
58. Paper clip, 1892
59. Paper, AD105
60. PC, 1977
61. Plough, AD100
62. Pneumatic tyre, 1845
63. Pocket calculator, 1971
64. Polaroid camera, 1947
65. Pop-up toaster, 1926
66. Post-it note, 1973
67. Printing press, 1454
68. Qwerty keyboard, 1868
69. Radio, 1895
70. Robot, 1921
71. Rubber band, 1845
72. Saddle, AD200
73. Safety razor, 1895
74. Sellotape, 1937
75. Sewing machine, 1830
76. SMS, 1992
77. Spectacles, 1451
78. Stethoscope, 1819
79. Swiss Army Knife, 1897
80. Syringe, 1844
81. Telephone, 1876
82. Telescope, 1608
83. Television, 1925
84. The internet, 1969
85. The match, 1826
86. The Pill, 1951
87. Thermometer, 1592
88. Tools, 2,600,000BC
89. Toothbrush, 1498
90. Transistor radio, 1953
91. Transistor, 1947
92. TV remote control, 1950
93. Umbrella, 2400BC
94. Vacuum cleaner, 1901
95. Velcro, 1948
96. VHS recorder, 1976
97. Vibrator, 1902
98. Walkman, 1979
99. Weighing scales, 5000BC
100. Wheel, 3500BC
101. Zip, 1913
Help
clip n. 回形针
outpace v. 速度超过
Morse code 摩斯密码
stripe n. 条纹
emancipate v. 解放
patent n. 专利
Baron n. 男爵
gadget n. 小玩意
crude adj. 天然的
tunic n. 束腰外衣
polymath n. 博学家
flea n. 跳蚤
spectacle n. 眼镜
novelty n. 新奇的东西
dismayed adj. 沮丧的
