The video game console

Every PlayStation, Xbox and Switch descends from one idea: that the television in the living room could be played with. Ralph Baer — born in Pirmasens, Germany, whose Jewish family fled the Nazis in 1938, weeks before Kristallnacht — sketched it in 1966 at defense contractor Sanders Associates, built the 'Brown Box' prototype by 1968, and licensed it to Magnavox: the Odyssey, released in 1972, was the world's first home video game console. Baer also co-created Simon, the glowing memory game of the 1970s. In 2006 he received the National Medal of Technology from the US president — the refugee boy who taught the world's televisions to play.

Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.