-
Eadweard Muybridge invents the first moving pictures. -
Sir Joseph Wilson Swan was the first person to invent a practical and longer-lasting electic lightbulb. -
David Houston patents the roll film for cameras. -
George Eastman from the USA introduced film on a roll, enabling longer motion pictures. -
Thomas Edison’s studio allowed short films to be created and projected: early controlled filmmaking environment. -
Lumière brothers in France created a lightweight, hand-cranked motion picture camera that also served as a projector and film printer. Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory (1895) was the 1st movie projected to the public. -
Lumiere Brothers invent a portable motion-picture camera, film processing unit and projector called the Cinematographe. Lumiere Brothers using their Cinematographe are the first to present a projected motion picture to an audience of more that one person. -
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896) by Lumière brothers shocked the audience. The audiences believed the train was coming toward them. This is an early exploration of cinematic realism. -
Georges Méliès’ camera jammed and resumed filming, creating disappearing effects, recognized as the first special effects director. One of his famous work is A Trip to the Moon (1902), establishing Méliès as the first “cinematic magician. Investment in cinema grew in France, supported by pioneers like Alice Guy-Blaché. -
Enoch J. Rector (USA) filmed a boxing match on 63 mm The Corbett–Fitzsimmons Fight (1897), establishing early widescreen cinema. -
George Albert Smith (United Kingdom) experimented with cinematic perspectives, creating narrative depth and intimacy. He used the 1st close up in cinema showing a little kitten drinking milk in the movie The Little Doctor and the Sick Kitten (1901). -
The first radio receiver, successfully received a radio transmission. Invented by Guglielmo Marconi. -
Multiple cuts and cross-cutting introduced in The Great Train Robbery (1903) in the USA. Edwin S. Porter advanced narrative editing, using multiple shots to create dynamic action sequences: early foundation of modern cinematic storytelling. Theatrical cinema gave way to action cinema. -
Early small cinemas by Nickelodeons in the USA charging 5 cents. Cinema became accessible mass entertainment for working-class audiences. -
Charles Tait produced the first feature-length narrative film (~60–70 min) in Australia. The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) proved the audience is interested in long-form storytelling. -
Florence Lawrence became the first movie star: public fascination with actors’ personalities influenced Hollywood’s costume, style, and film psychology. Hollywood learned and focused on costumes and luxury, adding an element of sublime to stardom -
Charles Pathé used editing to contrast events and build tension across multiple storylines. Le Cheval Emballé (The Horse That Bolted) (1907, France) -
Color photography invented by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. (The image is not the 1st color photograph but one of the 1st ones) -
In Assassination of the Duke de Guise (1908, France) reverse-angle shot is used for the first time. -
Hovhannes Adamian was an Armenian enginner who patented a color television system based on the tricolor principle in Germany, marking a significant advancement in television technology. The system utilized red, green, and blue filters to reproduce color images, laying the foundation for modern color television. -
Nestor Motion Picture Company built the first studio in Hollywood using open-air platforms which was a tent-like structure. It inspired bigger, permanent studios that shaped the American film industry. -
The superheterodyne radio circuit invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong. Today, every radio or television set uses this invention. -
Polaroid photography invented by Edwin Herbert Land -
Bell Labs invents the voice recognition machine -
Peter Goldmark invents modern color television system. -
The internet was put into use in the USA.
This milestone laid the foundation for modern global networking, email, and the World Wide Web.