On This Day

First public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women's Clubs

The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.

The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector, but it introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video: it created the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of perforated film bearing sequential images over a light source with a high-speed shutter. First described in conceptual terms by U.S. inventor Thomas Edison in 1888, it was largely developed by his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson between 1889 and 1892.

Historical Significance

The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.

Key People

Thomas Edison

inventor and businessman

American inventor and businessman

Events Before

  1. Physicist J. J. Thomson (33) weds Rose Elisabeth Paget

    Physicist J. J. Thomson (33) weds Rose Elisabeth Paget

  2. Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government

    Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Asmara.

  3. German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck resigns after 19 years after a disagreement with German Emperor Wilhelm II

    German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck resigns after 19 years after a disagreement with German Emperor Wilhelm II

  4. Painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (49) weds Aline Victorine Charigot

    Painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (49) weds Aline Victorine Charigot

  5. Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes the first Black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin "Nu

    Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes the first Black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin "Nunc" Wallace in 18 rounds in London

Events After

  1. Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station and becomes the gateway to the United States for more than 12

    Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station and becomes the gateway to the United States for more than 12 million people

  2. Manuel Roxas is born

    Manuel Roxas is born

  3. Painter Paul Gauguin marries Teha'amana, a 13-year-old Tahitian girl

    Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements.

  4. The rules of basketball are first published in Triangle magazine, written by James Naismith

    The rules of basketball are first published in Triangle magazine, written by James Naismith

  5. The Coca-Cola Company is incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia

    The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892 headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

More from the 1890s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 20, 1891?
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector, but it introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video: it created the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of perforated film bearing sequential images over a light source with a high-speed shutter. First described in conceptual terms by U.S.
Why is First public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope to members of t... significant?
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.
Who was involved in First public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope to members of t...?
Key figures include Thomas Edison (inventor and businessman).

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