Today in Technology History
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July 12
On July 12, 1854, George Eastman was born in Waterville, New York. He did more than anyone else to popularize photography.
Eastman's family was poor and his formal education was cut short when he had to start working at age fourteen.
A decade later, Eastman planned a vacation to the Dominican Republic and a friend suggested he bring along a camera. At the time, cameras were bulky contraptions, and taking pictures was a tedious process. Suddenly fascinated, Eastman began to work on simplifying photography so that ordinary people could swiftly take pictures.
First, he made it less messy. Back then, a photographer had to wipe chemicals on glass plates before taking each picture. Eastman devised a way to pre-treat the glass plates, and by 1880 he was selling convenient dry photographic plates.
Next came his greatest innovation: getting rid of the glass plates altogether. He replaced them with flexible "film," which the photographer could send away to have developed. He patented his system in 1884, and started selling film-ready cameras under the trademark "Kodak" -- a name he invented. Film was immediately accepted by photographers. What's more, film made motion pictures possible.
Eastman and his company made many more improvements to the quality and speed of photography. Eastman became fabulously wealthy. A great philanthropist, he donated many millions of dollars to universities and dental clinics. Suffering from a spinal disorder, he killed himself in 1932 at the age of 77.
Related links:
Click here to read a biography of Eastman, from the Kodak company.
Click here for the Encyclopedia Britannica entry for Eastman.
Eastman's mansion was converted into a photography museum; click here for its homepage.
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