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First introduced: 1985
Laugh all you want at the kitschy vintage commercials on YouTube, but The Clapper represents American ingenuity at its best. Inventors Carlile Stevens and Dale Reamer saw a problem -- in this case, the occasional need to get out of bed -- and came up with the solution. Too fat, old or lazy to get up and turn off the light? Clap your hands, my friend, and your wish is granted. Repeat the process when you rise, sometime after the crack of noon, and the light goes back on. Magic? No, that's science!
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Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsJohn T.Nov 11th 2008 4:00PM
The Clapper was around a lot longer than 1985. My micro professor had one in his apartment in 1968.
BruceNov 13th 2008 11:47AM
I agree with John. My college roommate had one in February 1968 when we became roommates. Not sure how long he had it before then.
Do you realize that in its long life The Clapper has witnessed men walk on the moon, the Tet Offensive leading to the end of the Vietnam Conflict, Watergate, Irangate, two Gulf Wars, LCDs eveywhere replacing the CRT, cellular phones, the end of analog TV signals.
Wow!
It's like my Grandma who saw the first airplane on the silent movie screen and men walk on the moon in her lifetime. Some technologies, and people, are so enduring.
Ted WebbNov 11th 2008 4:59PM
Greatest INVENTION SINCE 1900: TRIODE VACUUM TUBE; 1906.
Second greatest: the TRANSISTOR; 1947
DenneNov 11th 2008 5:06PM
Why does the clapper have to be linked to laziness?? For some people it's actually very dangerous to stumble around in a dark room to go back and forth between a bed/chair and the light switch. My room isn't even that big and I've had a few mishaps trying to navigate in the dark. For an elderly person a simple fall is not just a clutzy hassle, it can be life ending. Even though I'm far from elderly... I wish I had a clapper in my bedroom... and one for the entrance. My mom always says you should never just walk into a dark house.
Jan FugerNov 11th 2008 9:30PM
The Clapper not only responds to a clap but will turn a light on and/or to any other loud noice. My mother had a terrible cough and every night when she coughed the light would come on and the next time she coughed it went off. All night the light went on and off; needless to say it went back the next day!
Caterina PrydeNov 13th 2008 8:54AM
I applaud the clapper. We have a back door that enters into the basement and kitchen stairs through a pantry, and there is absolutely no light back there except the pantry bulb, which has a switch in the kitchen, not near the backdoor. That means coming up the stairs in the dark when coming home in winter. Adding the clapper to a light means it's always bright enough to come in, or to get into the basement at night. And having the clapper means that we don't have to leave the light on, saving a lot of energy.