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In 1889, George Eastman made the first film on transparent plastic. It was made from nitrocellulose, which is highly flammable. This has been the standard for film.
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In 1895, the Lumière Brothers create a hand held, lightweight motion picture camera called the cinématographe. They also figure out it can project images on a large screen. They create many short films that are considered to be a major event in film history.
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In 1900, the Eastman Kodak company introduced the Brownie Camera. It was a simple box that used roll film. It was priced at $1.00 and aimed for kids to use.
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Florence Lawrence becomes the first publicly named motion picture actress. She is considered to be the first movie star. She was one of the leading ladies in silent films for the Biograph Company
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In 1921, the silent film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was made. It was adapted to the screen in the U.S by June Mathis. It became that year's top grossing film, and sixth best grossing silent film of all time.
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In 1931, Thomas Edison dies at the age of 84. He was one of the first film pioneers and film makers. He was known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park" for his many inventions.
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In 1940, The Thief of Bagdad was the first movie to use a blue screen technique. It did not win the Best Picture. However, it won Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.
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Hollywood began to counteract the rise of television. They used different tactics by increasing color and using wide screen films. They also started using 3D films, films where you need cardboard glasses to view them clearly.
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Alfred Hitchcock's film, "Psycho" terrified the audiences. It opened in theatres amidst secrecy. It got instructions that no patron would enter until the film started. It is known as the mother of all modern horror films.
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In 1975, an unusual film called the Deafula was released. It became the first and only vampire horror movie shot using ASL . Later, a soundtrack was dubbed to loosely translate the signs.
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In 1980, George Lucas released the highest grossing film of 1980. It was a Sci-Fi film, the second in the trilogy, called the Empire Strikes Back. It eventually made $290 million dollars.
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In 1995, Toy Story was the first totally digital feature length film. It was Pixar's and Disney's first collaboration released in theatres. It became the highest grossing movie of that year, at $191.8 million.
