Black Mail Fast Fact: Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922 – 1977) patented a home security/surveillance device in 1966. She applied for the patent along with her husband, Albert Brown. The home security/surveillance system was created from a motorized camera to show images on a monitor (patent #3,482,037). An additional feature of the home security system was that it could be used to unlock a door via remote control.
In an interview with the New York Times, she shared that she and her husband invented the device due to the slow response times of the police officers in their neighborhood. She felt the invention would help her to feel safer when she was at home alone. Her invention would be a forerunner of today’s modern home security systems.