July 11, 1895 CE – Auguste and Louis Lumiere Demonstrate Film Technology to Scientists
A pair of French brothers, standing with a group of researchers, turned the crank on a cinematographe – a special machine capable of recording and projecting images. The screening, believed to be the first of its kind, occurred on July 11, 1895 using technology created three years before by Leon Bouly. The moving picture industry was born. The Lumieres, like many others who have risen to fame with new technology, were not inventors by trade. Bouly’s work to invent the cinematographe had been done, but he had found little use for it and was unable to maintain the patents necessary to keep his grip on the proprietary design. In 1894, the Lumieres claimed rights to the name and set their engineers to work on replicating and refining the machine. The changes were both cosmetic and practical – the crank was moved to the side and a tripod installed for steadier shots during filming. Showing the results of their work to scientists was just the first step for the brothers. The private July screening would be the first in history, but it would be just six weeks before a public demonstration. On September 28, 1895, the Lumieres packed up the cinematographe and made the trip to La Ciotat in the southwest of France.