Most of us may not be familiar with John Joseph Houghtaling. But if you check your history, this guy was the one who invented the “Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed”. This bed brought weary travelers 15 minutes of “tingling relaxation and ease” for a quarter in hotel rooms across America during its heyday as a pop culture icon in the 1960s and ’70s.
With all that cleared up, the famed inventor passed away at the age of 92. He started tinkering in the basement of his New Jersey home where he was eventually able to come out with the “Magic Fingers” machine in 1958. The device was mounted onto beds, and a quarter bought 15 minutes of “tingling relaxation and ease,” according to its label.
Houghtaling was born Nov. 14, 1916, in Kansas City, Mo. He liked to say he barely made it out of high school, his son said, and he never went to college. He joined the Army Air Corps during World War II and flew 20 combat missions. He is survived by his four sons and a daughter.
This is not affiliated with Bedzine.
(Source) The Governeur Times
