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Black History: Marie Van Brittan Brown

Written by on February 4, 2018

I love seeing women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, & math)!
In 1966, our lives all became a little more peaceful and less worrisome with Marie Van Brittan Brown’s invention.  She and her husband created the home security system.
It all began in Jamaica, Queens. Brown was a nurse working long hours and her husband, Albert, was an electronics technician. The crime rates in their neighborhood were increasing however police response time was also increasing. Since the police offered little to no help, Brown wanted to create something that made her feel  safe in her own home.
She worked together with her husband to create a home security system. One thing that often bothered her was answering the door to unidentified visitors. Soon they developed a motorized camera that was able to move up and down allowing the viewer to see angles of a visitor undetectable with the average peephole.
They placed a television in their bedroom and used a radio controlled wireless system to feed the images from the door to the monitor. A two-way microphone was also connected to permit conversation back & forth.
If the person at the door caused the homeowner concern, a button could be pushed to sound an alarm to signal those nearby. However, if not, another button could be pressed to unlock the door.
The couple received the patent for the first home security system in 1969. Their invention is used in multi dwelling apartment buildings across the country to this day.
Thank you so much to the oppressive white supremacist establishment for once again not coming through making Black people get even more creative to look out for themselves.


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