Edison Electric Light Company Formed
October 15, 1878
Thomas Edison and a group of investors form the Edison Electric Light Company. The goal of the company was to provide financial support for Edison’s electric light experiments and work on developing an electrical lighting system for an entire city. The long-lasting carbonized filament light bulb was developed by Edison while working for this company. Eventually this and several other Edison companies were merged to form General Electric.
Photographic Film Patented
October 14, 1884
George Eastman receives a patent on his paper-strip photographic film. Prior to the invention of photographic film, photography was primarily done using “wet plates,” which was cumbersome, expensive, and not easy to transport. The invention of photographic film made photography much simpler and portable. Interestingly adoption among the professional photographers of the time was slow, likely because they didn’t see an advantage of moving from wet plates in studio work. Only when Eastman started to market his film and cameras to the general public did photographic film become popular.
Besides the invention of photographic film, Eastman was also instrumental in advancing photographic technology in the late 1800’s and making it accessible to anyone who wanted to take pictures. He would later found the Eastman Kodak company based on the success of his photographic film and camera technology. Before the days of digital photography, film was inseparable from the art and skillset of photography for nearly 130 years.
Apple Passes $500 Billion Valuation
February 29, 2012
The stock value of Apple, Inc. surpasses $500 billion, setting a new record for the company which was already the world’s most valuable company at the time. This day marks a milestone on the historic run for the company from near-bankruptcy in the 1990’s to one of the most, if not the most, dominant technology company in recent history. Apple would later become the first company in history to surpass $700 billion in value in February 2015.
Tokyo Skytree Completed
February 29, 2012
Construction of the Tokyo Skytree broadcast tower, delayed two months due to the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, is completed on leap day – February 29th, 2012. The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan and the world’s tallest tower.