Eugene Polley earned 18 patents during his 47-year career
According
to this article, TV watchers may want to hit the mute button for a
moment of silence because the man who invented the remote control has
died at the age
of 96, the Chicago Sun Times reported Tuesday.
Eugene "Gene" Polley died Sunday in a Chicago hospital. Polley invented
the first wireless TV remote control in 1955 while working as an
engineer for Zenith Electronic in Chicago. He received a 2,000-dollar
bonus for his historic innovation, but later earned an Emmy award in
1997 for his contributions to television.
The company marketed the device as the Flash-Matic. "A flash of magic
light from across the room turns set on, off or changes channels," a
company advertisement said. "And you remain in your easy chair!"
The device only worked with Zenith’s Flash-Matic TV, using a light beam
that controlled photo cells in each corner of the TV. Historians credit
the device with paving the way for TVs with hundreds of channels. They
also note that the Flash-Matic had another innovative feature that just
as many people might be grateful for: a mute button that allows users to
turn off the sound during commercials.
