Stop The NonSense

BEFORE RING DOORBELLS, A BLACK COUPLE HAD ALREADY ENVISIONED THE FUTURE!

In 1966, Marie Van Brittan Brown and her husband, Albert L. Brown, designed one of the earliest modern home-security systems from their home in Queens, New York.

Marie worked as a nurse, while Albert was an electronics technician. Because they often worked irregular hours and police response in their neighborhood could be slow, Marie wanted a way to see and speak to visitors without opening the door.

Their invention included:

📺 A television monitor inside the home
📹 A camera that moved between multiple peepholes
🎙️ Two-way voice communication
🔓 A remote-controlled door lock
🚨 An alarm that could contact police or security

The Browns filed their application on August 1, 1966, naming Marie as the lead inventor. Their patent—“Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance”—was granted on December 2, 1969.

Their forward-thinking design helped establish concepts now found in video doorbells, intercom systems, surveillance cameras and smart-home security technology.

Long before families could check their front doors from a cellphone, Marie and Albert Brown had already drawn the blueprint.

Were you taught about the Van Brittan Browns? Share this post so their names are remembered—and tell us which modern invention we should uncover next!

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