Eugene Polley

Entrepreneur

Birthday November 29, 1915

Birth Sign Sagittarius

Birthplace Illinois

DEATH DATE May 20, 2012 (96)

#262,640 Most Popular

About

Inventor of the wireless TV remote control, which made television watching much more comfortable.

Before Fame

He joined Zenith Corporation in the stockroom, eventually rising through the ranks to create the Flash-Matic remote.

Trivia

He told an interviewer, "The flush toilet may have been the most civilized invention ever devised, but the remote control is the next most important," in 2001.

Family Life

He had one daughter, Joan, with wife Blanche.

Associated With

His colleague at Zenith Robert Adler made a better version of the remote.