motion pictures

First horizontal-feed motion picture camera invented

Jun 15, 1890

W.K.L. Dickson, devotes himself to the "motion picture project". He and his staff develop the first horizontal-feed motion picture camera.

Tomas Edison Makes kinetograph and kinetoscope

Mar 21, 1891

A peephole-viewing machine is unveiled by Edison during a convention. The motion picture in the viewing machine shows a man bowing, smiling and taking off his hat. Edison calls his motion picture camera a kinetograph, and his peephole-viewing device a kinetoscope.

Thomas Edison Builds First Film Studio For His Kinetoscope

Apr 11, 1893

Edison builds a film studio on the grounds of his laboratories in New Jersey to produce films for his kinetoscope machines. The studio is called "The Black Maria."

New Movie Studio in Heart of New York

Feb 23, 1901

Edison introduces a new projector that can take up 1,000 feet of film on a single reel. He also builds a new movie studio in the heart of New York City that is enclosed in glass and can be used year-round.

It's Succeessful; The Great Train Robbery Released

Sep 5, 1903

Edison hires Edwin S. Porter as a cameraman, andpromotes him to the position of Director of Production. Porter's editing innovations change the way stories are told on film, and he releases "The Great Train Robbery" which becomes the most commercially successful American film made up to that time.

First Nickelodeon Established

Mar 9, 1905

Harry Davis, a wealthy vaudeville theatre owner, opens a storefront theater in Pittsburgh for the showing of motion pictures. He calls it the "Nickelodeon" because a person can see an entire program of films, which lasts ten to thirty minutes, for a nickel.

Chicago Is The Centre for Nickelodeons

Nov 18, 1906

Chicago becomes a center for the motion picture exchanges that supply films for the new Nickelodeons. Many Nickelodeons are established there and each studio makes about $800-$1000 a week!

Motion Pictures Patents is Formed

May 21, 1909

The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) is formed and becomes a holding company for all of the patents belonging to the film producers who are members. Members of this Trust, which include all of the major film producers of the time including Edison and Biograph, agree to share their various machine and film patents,.

Former Biograph Worker Leaves & Forms KPC

Dec 29, 1912

Mack Sennett, a former director at Biograph, forms the "Keystone Picture Company" and prepares to start filming at the studios of Bison Life in Hollywood, California.

Charlie chaplin Begins Career

Jun 11, 1918

Charlie Chaplin opens his own studios to produce films for First National.

United Artists Corporation Formed

Aug 8, 1919

Feeling that distributors are taking too much of their money, D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks join forces and form their own distributing company called "United Artists Corporation".