Born: 30 October 1922, United States
Died: 2 February 1999
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Marie Van Brittan Felton
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
If necessity is the mother of invention, the need to feel (and be) safe is certainly one of the most compelling. Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse who worked long hours and didn’t feel safe returning home late at night, particularly as her husband’s work schedule meant he often wasn’t home. So, she collaborated with her husband, an electronics technician, to design and create the first closed-circuit television security system, changing home security for generations to come.
Born in 1922, Brown devised a system in 1966 with four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones to create what we now call CCTV. The peepholes allowed the camera to see people’s faces at different heights, while the microphones meant she could talk with someone outside and a remote enabled her to unlock the door from a distance, while an emergency button could alert police or security. The couple patented their work in 1969, and it would be cited in dozens of patent applications from other inventors over the years, in addition to recognitions like an award from the National Scientists Committee.
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