Marie Van Britton Brown

Marie van Brittan Brown

"A Safer Society"

Did you know that the first home security system was invented by an African American Nurse. Yes Marie Van Brittan Brown invention consisted of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. Her system allowed her to capture images and communicate with a person outside. Her system even allowed her to press the emergency button to alert police. She did it first!

Marie van Brittan Brown was born in 1922 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She worked as a nurse and her husband worked as a electronic technician. Brown and her husband worked long hours. Oftentimes Brown would be required to return home late at night, this left her home alone. Since there had been many breakins in her neighborhood, Brown wanted to come up with a solution that would protect her and her neighbors. That's when she created the Home Security System. This system allowed her to see whose outside and even to unlock her door at safe distances. Brown laid the foundation for many security systems today.