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.

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.
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Discuss: RIP Eugene Polley, a real American hero
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