Timeline

4th - 5th century: Greek and Chinese philosophers describe the basics for the camera and optics

1664 - 1666: A discovery by Isaac Newton reveals that white light is made up of different.

1794 : The first panorama invented by Robert barker which paved the way for the movie house.

1840: Alexander Wolcott gains first American patent for his camera.

1841: William Henry Talbot patents the Calotype process which helps to make copies.

1851: Frederick Scott Archer invents the Collodon process which images only require 2 to 3 seconds of light exposure.

1859: The sutton panoramic camera patented.

1871: Richard Leach Maddox invents the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process, negatives no longer had to be processed immediately.

1888: George East man patents Kodak roll-film Camera.

1898: Reverend Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid film.

1900: The Brownie is the first mass-marketed camera.

1927: The modern flash bulb is invented by General Electric.

1941: Eastman Kodak introduces Kodacolor film.

1948: Eastman markets the Polaroid camera.

1960: EG&G devolopes underwater cameras for the US Navy.

1963: Polaroid introduces color film.

1968: Photos taken of the earth from the moon.

1977: George Eastman and Edwin Land are inducted into National inventors hall of fame.

1978: Konica introduces point-and-shoot auto-focus camera.

1980: Sony demonstrates first consumer camcorder.

1985: Pixar introduces digital imaging processor.

1990: Kodak announces Photo CD as a digital storage medium. Photoshop released.

1992: Photo CD released.

2000: Camera Phone released in Japan.

2004: Kodak ends production of film Cameras.

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/Photography.htm
http://photo.net/history/timeline