X

RIP Eugene Polley, a real American hero

Inventor of the wireless remote control dies at 96.

George Schweitzer Chief marketing officer, CBS
George Schweitzer's position as chief marketing officer at CBS gives him a unique opportunity not only to observe but also to help shape the ways technology is altering the television industry. A communications major at Boston University who joined CBS after graduation some 30 years ago, George is also an unabashed technology geek who specializes in the latest home automation and entertainment gear.
George Schweitzer

Couch potatoes everywhere have lost a true hero. Eugene Polley, inventor of the first wireless remote control, died on May 20 at the age of 96. As an engineer at Zenith Electronics in 1955, Polley created the Flash-Matic remote control, a device that, for the first time ever, gave viewers the ability to change channels without leaving the comfort of their couches and recliners.

LG Electronics

Read the full obituary in The New York Times.

Read my post about remotes "Clicking into the Future."

Visit our Remote Control Gallery on The CBS Attic.