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#BossipBMH: Marie Van Britton Brown
For Black History Month, Bossip has been highlighting the stories of incredible Black history makers. We love the folks who paved the way when it seemed impossible.
Today we’d like to share the story of Marie Van Brittan Brown, the Black woman who created the first modernized home security system — and she did so because police were slow to respond to Black folks who called for help!
Marie Van Brittan Brown was born in Queens, New York, on October 22, 1922, and resided there until her death on February 2, 1999, at age seventy-six. During her life, she’d patented an invention that influences the way we secure our homes and businesses today.
According to Black Past, Marie Brown worked as a nurse and her husband, Albert Brown, worked as an electronics technician. Their work hours were not the standard nine-to-five, and the crime rate in their Queens, New York City neighborhood was very high. As a result, Brown created and patented a home security system in 1966 with technology unheard of at that time. Her original invention was comprised of peepholes, the camera, monitors, and a two-way microphone. The final element was an alarm button that could be pressed to contact the police immediately.
An additional feature of Brown’s invention was that a person also could unlock a door with a remote control. Marie Brown told The New York Times the couple invented the device because police were slow in responding to emergencies in their neighborhood. There had been an uptick in crime, and Marie Brown wanted to feel safer while at home alone. The Times reported the “audio-video alarm system” could be used to see who was at the door and interview them as well. She was given an award for the National Scientists Committee (NSC).
She was amazing. Marie Van Brittan Brown died on February 2, 1999, in her neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens.
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