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Chinese magic lantern
The most widely accepted theory is that Christiaan Huygens developed the original device in the late 1650s. The magic lantern has a concave mirror in front of a light source that gathers light and projects it through a slide with an image scanned onto it. The light rays cross an aperture and hit a lens. The lens throws an enlarged picture of the original image from the slide onto a screen. -
Phenakistiscope
The phenakistiscope was developed. Many variations on these and other optical toys developed in this period. The phenakistoscope used a spinning disc attached vertically to a handle. Around the disc's center was a series of drawings showing phases of the animation, and cut through it was a series of equally spaced radial slits. -
The Flip Book
Development of the flip book which led to a coin machine 'viewer' based on a series of photographs being flipped by turning a handle. -
Praxinoscope
Emile Raynaud developed the praxinoscope which was the successor of the zoetrope. This was a spinning drum but one in which viewers saw moving images in a series of mirrors rather than through slots. -
The invention of plasticine
William Harbutt invented plasticine. This is used for model animation, now made famous by Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. -
first recorded uses of animation in adverstising
Arthur Melbourne-Cooper produced an animated commercial for Bird's Custard powder. -
first proper animated film for cinema entertainment
Windsor McCay, a pioneer animator produced the first proper animated film for cinema entertainment called Gertie the Dinosaur. This was a silent film in black and white. -
Earliest Prototype of the Zeotrope
Created in China in 180 AD by an inventor called Ting Huan. His device hung over a lamp and was called chao hua chich kuan. When the device was spun at the right speed, pictures painted on panels would appear to move.