What are the important dates in photography?

Photography, since its inception, has revolutionized the way we capture and understand the world around us. From the first blurry images to high-definition digital shots, each milestone has marked a significant advancement. Discover the 100 most significant dates and anecdotes in the history of photography, organized by period and category.

1. The beginnings of photography (before 1900)

1. 1826 : Nicéphore Niépce takes the first known photograph, a blurred view of the courtyard of his house in France, after an exposure time of 8 hours.
2. 1838 : The first photograph of a person is accidentally captured in Paris; a man has his shoes shined during a street shot.
3. 1839 : Louis Daguerre introduces the daguerreotype , the first commercial method of photography.
4. 1839 : The word "photograph" is first used by British scientist Sir John Herschel .
5. 1839 : Robert Cornelius takes the first "selfie" in history with a daguerreotype.
6. 1840 : John William Draper takes the earliest photograph of the Moon.
7. 1843 : First presidential portrait, that of John Quincy Adams .
8. 1858 : Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) takes the first aerial photographs from a hot air balloon.
9. 1861 : James Clerk Maxwell creates the first color photograph using a trichrome process.
10. 1861-1865 : Mathew Brady documents the American Civil War, highlighting the role of photography in conflict.

2. Evolution and innovation (1900-1950)

11. 1899 : Louis Boutan takes the first underwater photograph in Banyuls-sur-Mer.
12. 1900 : Kodak launches the Brownie , the first consumer camera.
13. 1901 : First official portrait of a sitting U.S. president, William McKinley .
14. 1935 : Introduction of Kodachrome , revolutionizing color photography with its slide film.
15. 1936 : Dorothea Lange captures "Migrant Mother", an iconic image of the Great Depression.
16. 1941 : Yousuf Karsh takes a legendary portrait of Winston Churchill , after taking his cigar away.
17. 1944 : Robert Capa photographs the D-Day landings in Normandy.
18. 1945 : First photograph of an atomic explosion during the Manhattan Project.
19. 1940s : Ansel Adams works on aerial photographs for the U.S. Army during World War II.
20. 1940s : Leica 's Ernst Leitz saves hundreds of Jews by helping them escape Germany under the cover of photographic assignments.

3. Modern and digital photography (1950-2000)

21. 1957 : Russell Kirsch creates the first scanned digital image, marking the beginning of digital photography.
22. 1960 : Astrid Kirchherr takes the first professional photographs of the Beatles, influencing their public image.
23. 1967 : The Apollo 4 mission captures the first high-definition images of Earth from space.
24. 1969 : Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take photographs on the Moon, the first images of another celestial body.
25. 1972 : Launch of the Polaroid SX-70 , the first instant camera with automatic development.
26. 1975 : Steve Sasson , an engineer at Kodak, invents the first digital camera.
27. 1980 : Annie Leibovitz photographs John Lennon and Yoko Ono hours before Lennon's assassination.
28. 1984 : Steve McCurry captures the "Afghan Girl" for National Geographic, one of the world's most recognized photos.
29. 1990 : Adobe Photoshop 1.0 is released, revolutionizing photo editing.
30. 1990 : Voyager 1 captures the "Pale Blue Dot", showing Earth 6 billion kilometers away.

4. Contemporary photography and current events (2000-2024)

31. 2000 : The Sharp J-SH04 in Japan is the first mobile phone with a built-in camera.
32. 2001 : Richard Drew captures "The Falling Man" during the September 11 attacks.
33. 2003 : A photograph of a young Iraqi fighter appears on the cover of Time, illustrating the human cost of war.
34. 2010 : Instagram launches, revolutionizing mobile photography and instant sharing.
35. 2013 : Chris Hadfield shares photos of Earth from the ISS on Twitter, captivating the world.
36. 2014 : Ellen DeGeneres ' Oscars selfie becomes the most retweeted in history.
37. 2019 : First image of a black hole captured by an international team of researchers.
38. 2020 : Powerful images of the COVID-19 pandemic emerge, including one of an exhausted doctor on the front lines.
39. 2021 : NASA's Perseverance rover captures the first images of a flight on another planet with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars.
40. 2023 : Advances in artificial intelligence enable the creation of ultra-realistic images, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction.

5. Unforgettable and unusual moments

41. 1885 : Wilson Bentley takes the first snowflake photograph, dedicating his life to the task.
42. 1941 : Yousuf Karsh captures Winston Churchill 's memorable expression without his cigar.
43. 1993 : Kevin Carter photographs a starving Sudanese child, winning the Pulitzer Prize and sparking ethical controversy.
44. 2008 : A tornado chaser captures a tornado with a rainbow, a rare and spectacular image.
45. 2010 : A monkey in Indonesia takes a "selfie" with a photographer's camera, sparking a copyright debate.
46. 2018 : Peter Lindbergh refuses to retouch his photos for the Pirelli calendar, advocating natural beauty.
47. 2019 : An image of a mother and son fleeing a wildfire in Oregon becomes a symbol of wildfires in the United States.
48. 2020 : The Curiosity rover takes selfies on Mars, mesmerizing the public with their quality.
49. 2021 : Artist Banksy uses photography to document his ephemeral works.
50. 2022 : High-resolution photography of the Ring Nebula by the James Webb Space Telescope amazes the world.

6. Technical innovations and social impact

51. 2004 : Launch of Flickr , a platform dedicated to sharing photos online.
52. 2007 : Apple's iPhone popularizes mobile photography with a built-in quality camera.
53. 2012 : GoPro revolutionizes action photography with compact, rugged cameras.
54. 2015 : Introduction of HDR technology on smartphones, improving image quality in difficult lighting conditions.
55. 2016 : Drones equipped with cameras become accessible to the general public, opening up new photographic perspectives.
56. 2017 : Virtual reality enables immersive experiences in panoramic photography.
57. 2018 : Artificial intelligence is used to restore and colorize historical black and white photos.
58. 2019 : Smartphones integrate multiple lenses, providing professional photography capabilities.
59. 2020 : Virtual photography exhibitions gain popularity due to the pandemic.
60. 2021 : NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are revolutionizing the sale and ownership of digital photographic works.

7. Scientific and space photography

61. 1995 : The Hubble Space Telescope captures the "Pillars of Creation," an iconic image from space.
62. 2004 : The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity send back detailed images of the Martian surface.
63. 2015 : The New Horizons probe provides the first close-up images of Pluto .
64. 2016 : The Juno probe sends unprecedented photos of Jupiter and its giant storms.
65. 2019 : China's Chang'e 4 mission captures the first images of the far side of the Moon.
66. 2020 : The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Observatory releases high-resolution images of the Sun's surface.
67. 2022 : James Webb Space Telescope sends its first images, providing an unprecedented view of the universe.
68. 2023 : Scientists use photography to capture the first images of potentially habitable exoplanets.

8. Photography and social networks

69. 2015 : The hashtag #NoFilter gains popularity, encouraging the posting of unretouched photos.
70. 2016 : The viral effect of the "Ice Bucket Challenge" photo raises awareness of Charcot's disease.
71. 2017 : Instagram egg photo becomes most liked post, demonstrating the power of social media.
72. 2018 : Ephemeral stories on Instagram and Snapchat are changing the way we share everyday moments.
73. 2019 : The #BlackLivesMatter movement is amplified by powerful photographs on social media.
74. 2020 : Wildlife photographs during global lockdowns show nature reclaiming its rights.
75. 2021 : Augmented reality filters become ubiquitous on photo-sharing apps.
76. 2022 : Viral photography challenges encourage creativity during times of social restrictions.
77. 2023 : The rise of platforms like TikTok influences how short-form photography and videos are consumed.

9. Photography and social justice

78. 1955 : Rosa Parks is photographed during her arrest, an image that becomes a symbol of the civil rights movement.
79. 1963 : Photo of Malcolm X looking out a window with a rifle illustrates the fight for African-American rights.
80. 1972 : The photo of Kim Phuc , a young Vietnamese girl fleeing a napalm attack, shocks the world.
81. 1989 : The man in front of the tanks in Tiananmen Square becomes a symbol of resistance.
82. 2015 : The photo of little Aylan Kurdi , a Syrian child washed up on a beach, raises awareness of the refugee crisis.
83. 2019 : Hong Kong protests are widely documented and broadcast via smartphones.
84. 2020 : Images of George Floyd 's death spark global protests against racism.
85. 2021 : Photographs of migrant detention conditions at the US-Mexico border spark outrage.

10. Recent innovations and future of photography

86. 2022 : Development of photo sensors of more than 100 megapixels for smartphones.
87. 2023 : Quantum cameras promise images with unprecedented light sensitivity.
88. 2024 : AI enables 3D reconstruction from simple 2D photographs.
89. 2025 : Smart glasses with built-in cameras begin to replace smartphones for photography.
90. 2026 : Holographic photography becomes accessible to the general public.
91. 2027 : Advances in biotechnology enable retinal implants capable of capturing images.
92. 2028 : Amateur space photography becomes possible thanks to personal satellites.
93. 2029 : AI-powered cameras automatically select the best angles and settings.
94. 2030 : Fusion of augmented reality and photography for unprecedented immersive experiences.
95. 2031 : Olfactory photos are born, integrating odor sensations.

11. Photography and environment

96. 2006 : Al Gore uses powerful photography to raise awareness about global warming in "An Inconvenient Truth."
97. 2010 : Images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill raise questions about the environmental impact.
98. 2015 : Earth photograph from space, “Blue Marble,” raises global environmental awareness.
99. 2018 : Photographs show tons of plastic in the oceans, sparking movements to reduce plastic waste.
100. 2020 : Images of wildlife returning to cities deserted during lockdowns inspire discussions about coexistence with nature.

Conclusion

From humble beginnings to futuristic innovations, photography has constantly evolved, reflecting and influencing our society. Each milestone marks not only a technological advancement, but also a new way of seeing and understanding the world. As we move forward into the 21st century, photography continues to push the boundaries, promising even more amazing discoveries.