1. The first photo ever
The story of the first photo is very interesting. Nicéphore Niépce who is the inventor of photography was busy trying to figure out a way to use light to generate photographs. He used a mixture of Judean bitumen, a type of asphalt, and lay it over the pewter sheet which hardened when light interacted with it.
In simple language, he laid petroleum mixture on a sheet and then exposed it to light. and when the light hit the right spots of the substance, it produced an image.
2. The first ever photo of the moon
Back in the 19th century, it was very difficult to promise a piece of the moon and stars to your beloved wife. You see back then no one had ever seen the Moon. The only way to find out how the moon looked was to find an Astrologer who was also an amazing sketch artist. Which was rare.
This changed after Nicéphore Niépce’s moon photo on January 2, 1839. He didn’t have the night mode in his camera and hence had to take the photo in broad daylight. Eww, what model of camera doesn’t even have a low light mode?
(Literally the first one)
3. The first ever photo of a man
The problem with old photography techniques was that it couldn’t capture moving objects. It used to take hours to click one photo. Unlike us, who click a thousand photos and delete all of them because none look good.
This photo was clicked in 1838, showing a man getting his shoes polished in Boulevard du Temple by photographer Louis Daguerre. We hope the man tipped the boot polisher extra money for polishing his shoes for hours to get captured in this photo.
4. The first ever selfie
This photo is proof that friends are never helpful and you gotta take your own good photos. Robert Cornelius was a chemist and a photography enthusiast. Someday in 1839, he set up his camera and ran to be in the frame and click the first-ever “selfie”. If you are a 90s kid you relate to this so hard.
Look at how good the photo was! If Robert was alive today I can bet he would be a self-portrait King.
5. The first ever photo of a dog
Here, take some time to absorb all that cuteness. The first ever photo taken of a canine was this one called, “Poodle with Bow on Table”. As any pet lover who secretly has a folder of 1782 photos and videos of their pets doing absolutely anything knows how difficult it is to take good photos of these cuddle balls.
It took a few seconds to capture an image and if the dog moved, the image would get blurry. Let’s appreciate what a good doggo this one is.
6. The first ever photo of an American President
The 6th President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, was the first president to be photographed. He wasn’t in the office when this photo was taken. Maybe he took work from home seriously. It was taken in March 1843 when he was 75 years old. The old man got swag!
Somewhere this photograph was rediscovered in 1970. It was being auctioned for mere 50 cents. I mean, I would kill to sell my photos for 50 cents but for God’s sake, it’s the first photograph of an American president. Show some respect.
7. The first ever photo of a Tornado
The first ever photo of a tornado was taken on April 26, 1884, in Anderson County, Kansas. The amusing thing was that tornadoes were a big threat to humans and crops in this region. But most people had ever seen one (except the ones who died from it).
8. The first ever colored underwater photo
They weren’t finding Nemo and hence got a hogfish. It was taken by National Geographic photographer Charles Martin and Dr. William Longley off the coast of the Florida Keys in 1926. Those were the days when only light could produce photos.
The duo decided to have highly explosive magnesium on a raft. Whenever they pressed the camera click button that magnesium would explode and illuminate the underwater till 15 meters deep. And this is what created this cute underwater fish photo.
9. The first ever photo taken on a phone
Philippe Kahn, an entrepreneur, invented the world’s the first phone camera on June 11th, 1997, by assembling a digital camera, cell phone, and laptop. He was in the hospital ward waiting for the birth of his kid.
He shared the photo of his daughter to over 2000 friends using this mismatch of many devices. We hope the delivery was smooth and his wife wasn’t angry at him for caring more about the photo than her.
10. The first ever photo of the black hole
Ironically the first-ever photo of a black hole is as recent as 2019. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team produced the first-ever photograph of a black hole, which is 55 million light-years from Earth.
The beautiful texture is due to the polarization of light and magnetic fields. People who aren’t affected by the image of the Black Hole don’t acknowledge the gravity of the issue.
Conclusion
These photos you witnessed have meant a great deal to many people. They marked a point that made a mark in history. It was the starting of new rituals and new advancements which led us to where we are today.