How Did George Eastman Change The World

George Eastman founded a company with the motto, “You press the button, we do the rest,” that revolutionized the film and photography industry. Eastman was born in 1854 and took his own life at the age of 78, in 1932. His life goal was to make photography inexpensive, accessible and affordable for every one. Born to George Eastman Sr. and Maria Kilbourn on July 4th, 1854 - Eastman was the youngest of three children. He moved from his original home in Waterville, New York to Rochester when he was five. At eight, Eastman's father tragically died, leaving the family in a difficult situation, ending in Eastman dropping out of school and getting a job at fourteen as a messenger boy. He continued with similar miscellaneous temporary jobs until he became a bookkeeper for the Rochester Savings Bank at nineteen. At twenty-four, Eastman decided to take a trip to Santo Domingo and purchase a photography set upon a friends advice. Though he never ended up going on the trip, the photography equipment he bought sparked a never ending love that inspired him to created the Kodak company in 1881.

He produced a dry plate film that was easier to use because it was more flexible and didn't have to be developed immediately. The previous glass plate film couldn't be developed whenever, as the dry plate could. From here he continued to strive making photography simpler by inventing a film that could be rolled, greatly reducing the size cameras had to be. Later in the 1900's, Eastman created a film that could be used for motion-pictures. He also invented a new type of camera called the “Brownie camera.” His brownie camera was originally intended for children. It cost a dollar and a roll of replacement film cost fifteen cents. This inexpensive camera quickly became a favorite of the