The world's first electromagnetic alarm system was patented on June 21, 1853, by a very skilled man named Augustus Russell Pope of Somerville, Boston. Until then, people relied on the noisy honking of geese, the loyalty of their guard dogs, or mechanical bells to detect the presence of burglars.
Pope's prototype: a principle as simple as it is effective
Pope devised a battery-powered device that, although it may seem simple to us now, proved to be an effective system against burglars: it reacted by closing an electrical circuit, in which the doors and windows were connected as independent units to a parallel connection. Thus, if a door or one of the windows was opened, and with it the electrical circuit connected to them, the electrical current suddenly created within the system's magnets produced a vibration.
The electromagnetic oscillations produced were transmitted to a hammer, which struck a brass bell. What was special about Pope's invention was that the alarm could not be deactivated simply by closing the door or window, since a spring was mounted above the door, on the wall, which kept the electrical circuit running continuously and made the bell keep ringing.
Although Pope was the pioneer, it is another person who is usually considered the father of modern alarm systems. His name is Edwin Holmes, a merchant and founder of the first electric alarm installation company, who, interestingly, bought the rights to the invention from Pope himself in 1857. It was he who implemented the electromagnetic alarm technology with his company, "Holmes Electric Protection Company," and who would set the course for the industry.
Edwin Holmes: a clever strategist
Although Holmes lacked Pope's inventive spirit, he proved to be a shrewd strategist. His advertising methods were ahead of their time. To circumvent the widespread fear of electricity during the 19th century, he published a list in New York newspapers of prominent clients willing to publicly endorse his alarm systems. He then commissioned an advertisement that always featured a photograph of his "theft alarm telegraph," alongside his company name. Quite instinctively, Holmes followed the principles of modern marketing, and Pope's invention gradually became his own brand.
Holmes also capitalized on the public's trust and fascination with telegraphy at a time when it was still a relatively new technology, and he did so for two commercial purposes. On the one hand, he used it as a product name for his alarm systems, and on the other, he used it for a technical purpose: to leverage his numerous patents for the insulation of telegraph cables.
A clever chess move
Holmes didn't have to use much imagination to capitalize on this patent and build a central station for his alarm systems, connected by a weatherproof telegraph cable. To extend his clients' alarm cables throughout the city, Holmes moved his company to the top floor of a building in the city center. He soon had famous jewelers like Tiffany and Lord & Taylor as clients.
But the company's masterstroke came from his son, Edwin T. Holmes. It was he who conceived the idea of utilizing unused telephone lines in the Boston office at night for alarm systems. After the system's success in Boston, Holmes began cultivating close ties with the telephone company and soon secured exclusive rights to the New York telephone network, allowing him to use all of its excellent connecting wires for his alarm systems.
Edward A. Calahan
Another milestone in the history of modern alarm systems was established by a young man who came after Holmes, named Edward A. Calahan. In 1867, this telegraph operator invented the first teletype machine for gold and the stock market, which allowed for the immediate transmission of Wall Street currency exchange rates to investors. The couriers who had previously carried correspondence between stockbrokers began to have more work, as the information they had to pass on was now being generated very quickly.
But what does all this have to do with the subsequent development of electrical alarm systems? The connection lies with the president of the company soon founded to manufacture stock tickers, Mr. Elisha Andrews, who was Calahan's boss at the time. It all happened one night when a criminal surprised and robbed him at his home. Disturbed by the incident, Calahan felt compelled to protect his boss from similar dangers in the future.
Their plan was to place an alarm box with a bell in fifty neighboring houses surrounding Andrews's home, connecting the houses to each other. Each house's alarm detector was then determined by fixed bell chimes, allowing them to pinpoint where a burglary was taking place. If the alarm at house A was triggered, houses B and C would know that a break-in was likely in progress at house A.
While working on the first alarm devices, Calahan came up with another crucial idea: Since robberies often occurred in cities, it would be good if his system not only triggered the alarm, but also provided the necessary help, for which he created an emergency call center ready to react as soon as help was requested.
This is how he began dividing New York into districts that would be connected through an emergency call center. From there, emergency calls would be answered by messengers who would go to the location to provide and organize the necessary help as quickly as possible. The advantage of this emergency call box system was that it required very little maintenance, as it was powered by the electrical grid of the central train station. In 1871, Calahan helped establish the American District Telegraph (ADT) company, which was very successful and by 1875 had offices in Brooklyn, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Calahan-type alarm boxes became standard equipment in police stations and fire departments, but they were also used by courier services. Thus, by the end of 1870, two-thirds of all stock sales were conducted through ADT's couriers.
20th Century: High-tech alarm system
The twentieth century also brought significant developments to the world of alarm technology. After World War II, Calahan-type alarm boxes became more affordable, allowing for their installation in more and more emergency medical facilities, police stations, and fire stations, thus improving public safety. In the 1970s, technicians integrated the first motion detectors into alarm systems. The 1980s and 1990s were characterized by increasing standardization, which in turn led to their more widespread use for building protection. Finally, the first wireless alarm systems arrived on the market, revolutionizing alarm technology on a practical level as well, since they finally eliminated the mess of cables.
Today, even the most secluded areas can be protected with virtually no blind spots thanks to a combination of modern motion detectors, high-definition video surveillance technology, and electronic detectors. The most significant technological innovations continue to amaze people. And in the 21st century, the revolution shows no signs of stopping.
Sources:
Central Station Alarm Association
History of the Home Burglar Alarm System! How they came to be. by Terrance Hughes September 24, 2012
Photo: E. Holmes Burglar Alarm Bell: John D. Jenkins, www.sparkmuseum.com
