6. Remote Control

Esteemed Serbian-American, inventor Nikola Tesla, first came to the United States in 1884. He spent 59 years of his life living in New York, building some of the most important inventions known to mankind. One of his specific inventions was the world’s first wireless remote control, which he revealed to the public at Madison Square Garden in 1898. He demonstrated his invention with a miniature boat, which contained a metal antenna which could detect exactly one radio frequency.

Tesla used the remote control to operate the boat, directing it in the water. Although Tesla’s control was a success, it proved to be too expensive to use in the US Navy, his original client for the contraption. However, the idea of a remote control remained impressive, and spread to other types of technology, like the television.