1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: a show for people who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: My name is Gay Bluesier, and one of my favorite 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: things about history is that it gives us a glimpse 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: of just how novel the technology we take for granted 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: used to be. Take cameras, for instance. Most of us 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: today have a high quality one within arm's reach at 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: any given moment, thanks to our phones. But when cameras 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: were new, they were complex, bulky, and anything but intuitive. 11 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: So today we're going to reflect on just how good 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: we've got it by looking at the day when cameras 13 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: finally started to get a little more user friendly. The 14 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: day was Tuesday, September four, eighteen eight. American entrepreneur George Eastman, 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: founder of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company, received 16 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: a patent for the world's first camera designed to use 17 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: rolls of film. Dubbed the Kodak, the box style camera 18 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: was much easier to carry and operate compared to other 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: cameras of the day. This ease of use helped expand 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: the niche world of photography into a hobby accessible to 21 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:34,199 Speaker 1: almost anyone. Eastman was born on July twelfth, eighteen fifty four, 22 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: in Waterville, New York. He grew up poor and dropped 23 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: out of high school to support his widowed mother and 24 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: two sisters, one of whom was sick with polio. At 25 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: age fourteen. Eastman began his career in business as the 26 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: office boy for a local insurance company. He then got 27 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: a job as a bank clerk, and it was during 28 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: this tenure that he first took an interest in photography. 29 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: When Eastman was twenty four, he started making plans for 30 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: a vacation to Santo Domingo, the capital city of the 31 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: Dominican Republic. While prepping for the trip, a colleague at 32 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: the bank encouraged Eastman to document his travels. This prompted 33 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: him to invest in his own photographic equipment. True to 34 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: the era, the camera Eastman bought was as big as 35 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: a microwave and required a tripod to operate. At the time, 36 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: cameras relied on what's known as wet plate photography. In 37 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: this process, the camera's lens used light to capture an 38 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: image onto a heavy glass plate inserted in the camera. Then, 39 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: in a complicated multi step process, the glass plate would 40 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: be coated and dipped in several chemical solutions before being exposed, washed, 41 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: and varnished. Once this lengthy process was complete, and only 42 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: if done correctly, a visible negative image would appear on 43 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: the plate, which could then be used to make a 44 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: pay for print or photograph. Needless to say, taking and 45 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: developing even a single photo involved a great deal of time, effort, 46 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: and technical know how. In fact, when Eastman had gathered 47 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: his complete photography kit, which he colorfully described as a 48 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: pack horse load, he found that he still needed to 49 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: pay five dollars to learn how to use it. In 50 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: the end, George Eastman never actually took that vacation to 51 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: Santo Domingo, but his foray into photography ignited a new passion. 52 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: He continued to work at the bank during the day, 53 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: but at night he would experiment in his mother's kitchen, 54 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: hoping to find an easier way to take pictures. His 55 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: research led him to another existing form of photography, which 56 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: involved coading glass plates with a gelatine emulsion that remained 57 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: light sensitive even after it dried. This dry plate form 58 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: of photography simplified the development process, and after three years 59 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: of experimentation, Eastman came up with his own dry plate 60 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: formula and entered the photography business full time. As he 61 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: worked to keep his young company afloat, Eastman continued searching 62 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 1: for a new exposure method that would do away with 63 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: cumbersome glass plates once and for all. He knew that 64 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: only then could he achieve his dream to quote make 65 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: the camera as convenient as the pencil. His initial approach 66 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: was to coat the gelatine emulsion directly onto paper instead 67 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: of onto glass plates. That way, the paper could be 68 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: wound into a compact roll and loaded into a special 69 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: holder attached to the camera. When it became clear the 70 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: wet paper was too sticky and fragile to be rolled 71 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: up effectively, Eastman switched to film made from cellulose, and 72 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: the modern camera was born. The first camera to use 73 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: that film was the one Eastman patented in the Kodak Box. 74 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: Camera came preloaded with one hundred exposures worth of film 75 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: and was ready to use with no adjustments or prior 76 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: knowledge needed. Budding photographers could simply ready the shutter by 77 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: pulling up on a string, point the camera at a subject, 78 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: and then press the shutter release to snap a picture. 79 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: This simplicity was the major selling point for the twenty 80 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: five dollar Kodak camera, as evidenced by the camera slogan, 81 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: you press the button, we do the rest. Once all 82 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: one hundred exposures had been used, the entire camera was 83 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: sent to Eastman's headquarters in Rochester. There the film was developed, 84 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: prints were made, and a new roll of film was installed. 85 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: The camera and prince were then returned to the customer, 86 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: with the whole service costing around ten dollars. The Kodak 87 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: camera was such a success that within a few years 88 00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: of its debut Eastman renamed his business the Eastman Kodak Company. 89 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: As for the word Kodak, which Eastman trademarked on the 90 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: same day he patented his camera, it doesn't actually mean anything. 91 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,679 Speaker 1: Contrary to popular belief, it was not an existing word 92 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: borrowed from a foreign language. According to Eastman, the made 93 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: up word was chosen for four reasons. First, it was 94 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: short and therefore easy to remember. Second, it was a 95 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: distinct enough word that it would be difficult to mispronounce. Third, 96 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:35,799 Speaker 1: it had no associations outside of his specific camera. And fourth, 97 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: it both started and ended with the letter K, which 98 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: was Eastman's favorite letter. The name proved to be a 99 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: good choice, as Kodak went on to become one of 100 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: the most recognizable brand names of all time. The Kodak 101 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: Company and the medium of film photography in general have 102 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: lost some of their prominence since the advent of digital photography, 103 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: but without George Eastman and the role film camera, who 104 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: knows when or if photography would have ever become the 105 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: universal pastime it is today. I'm Gabelusier and hopefully you 106 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 107 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you'd like, you can learn more about 108 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. At 109 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: t d I HC podcast and if you have any 110 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, please send them my way at this 111 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: Day at i heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler 112 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: May's for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 113 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another Day 114 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: in History class. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 115 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 116 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.