Protect babies with "mysterious power known as electricity" and "eye which never sleeps"

Posted by Cory Doctorow, March 3, 2008 7:24 AM | permalink

The need to "protect babies from kidnappers" inspired an inventor in 1934 to create the world's most perfectly hyperbolic nannycam:

ANOTHER use has been found for that mysterious power known as electricity, and this time it will find favor with all mothers. The photo-electric cell, popularly known as the “eye which never sleeps,” has been mounted on baby’s crib. It watches throughout the night, ringing an alarm the instant anyone tries to reach into the crib.

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#1 posted by Mikey Likes BoingBoing , March 3, 2008 7:39 AM

Well, there certainly was a very strongly perceived "need to protect babies from kidnappers" in 1934, given the Lindbergh baby kidnapping took place in 1932 and Bruno Hauptman was just arrested in 1934.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindbergh_kidnapping

Interesting point of perceived versus actual risk. The risk of this anti-kidnapping system causing a fire seems far greater to me than an actual risk of baby kidnapping.