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William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, commissioned by Thomas Alva Edison, builds the first motion-picture camera and names it the Kinetograph.
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Was a 14 minute masterpiece (nearly one reel in length (about 825 feet), created by imaginative French director and master magician Georges Melies.
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In 1903, the ten-minute-long “The Great Train Robbery,” was shown, and it was the first Western narrative with a plot. Previously, films were just actions of mundane things like a short dance, a greeting or a kiss.
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The first movie theater opens in Pittsburgh.
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The first feature film is released when the two reels of D. W. Griffith's Enoch Arden are screened together.
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Walt Disney creates his first cartoon, "Alice's Wonderland."
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The Jazz Singer changed everything when star Al Jolson spoke the words, "You ain't heard nothin' yet," and the talkies were born.
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Although a primitive, two-color process was first used in 1922, audiences weren't impressed by Technicolor until a three-color system appeared in Becky Sharp.
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The first 3-D film, relying upon stereoscopic technology, achieved wide release in 1953. Earlier attempts had been made, but the 1950s saw the popularity of 3-d.
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With the invention of television, film needed to up its game. New widescreen processes to produce bigger and more exciting films were the answer.
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Motion picture ratings were introduced in 1968, with G, PG, R and X. PG-13 came significantly later. The X rating will later be replaced by NC-17.
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The Steadycam, first used in Rocky, became available offering new options to filmmakers.
