Eastman Patents the Kodak: Photography for All
George Eastman patented his roll-film camera and registered the trademark "Kodak" on September 4, 1888. The camera came preloaded with a 100-exposure roll of film, and when the roll was finished, the customer mailed the entire camera to Eastman's factory in Rochester, New York, which developed the film, printed the photographs, reloaded the camera with fresh film, and mailed everything back. Eastman's advertising slogan was "You press the button, we do the rest." The $25 camera (roughly $800 today) eliminated the need for chemical knowledge, darkrooms, and heavy glass plates, transforming photography from a specialized technical craft into something anyone could do. Kodak would dominate photography for a century.
September 4, 1888
138 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 4
Romulus Augustulus was 16 years old when he was deposed. His name was almost cosmically ironic — Romulus, the city's legendary founder, combined with Augustulus…
Li Shimin had just arranged the killing of two of his own brothers to take the throne. The Xuanwu Gate Incident — a carefully planned ambush inside the palace —…
Saxon troops crushed the Redarii and Obotrite alliance at Lenzen, shattering Slavic resistance along the Elbe River. This decisive victory forced the region int…
Sienese Ghibellines, reinforced by King Manfred's German cavalry, annihilated a much larger Florentine Guelph army at Montaperti, leaving thousands dead along t…
Peter III of Aragon didn't just become King of Sicily — he walked into a power vacuum created by one of the most dramatic popular uprisings of the medieval peri…
Castile and Portugal signed the Treaty of Alcáçovas, ending a succession war and dividing the Atlantic world between two Iberian powers. Portugal secured exclus…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.