In 1877 in Rochester, New York, George Eastman couldn't understand why picture-taking was so difficult. Having left school to support his mother and two sisters, George decided to find out by making photography his hobby. He packed up glass plates, a plate holder, a tent, a heavy tripod, a thick piece of black cloth, a water jug, and chemicals and set off to take his first photograph. George realized that not many people could own a camera -- they were too expensive and the size of today's microwave ovens! But how could he make picture-taking easier? Eventually, George created dry plates, and they were such a success that he opened his own dry-plate company in 1881. But this was only the beginning --- George went on to invent film and the brownie camera. The rest is history.
