FORT PIERCE — The man whose invention vibrated millions of Americans to sleep, John Joseph Houghtaling, 92, died Wednesday in Fort Pierce.

Houghtaling invented the “Magic Fingers” machine, a coin operated device that caused motel beds to vibrate when a quarter was dropped in the machine.

Born in Kansas City, Mo., Houghtaling joined the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a crewman on the B-17 bomber and made 17 missions before the end of the war, said his son, Paul Houghtaling of Alexandria, Va.

After the war he became a salesman for a company selling mattresses with built in vibrators. Sales were not good, according to an article by John Grossman in the Spring 2000 edition of American Heritage Magazine. So in 1958, Houghtaling decided to build a device that could attach to a mattress, be cheap to operate and return revenue to his firm and the motels using it. (more…)