Zoetrope Patented: The Birth of Animated Pictures
William Lincoln patented the zoetrope on April 23, 1867, improving on a device first described by British mathematician William George Horner in 1834. The zoetrope was a rotating drum with vertical slits cut into the upper half. A strip of sequential drawings placed inside appeared to move when the drum was spun and viewed through the slits. Unlike the earlier phenakistoscope, multiple people could watch simultaneously. The device became a popular Victorian parlor toy, sold by Milton Bradley and other manufacturers. The zoetrope demonstrated the principle of persistence of vision that would underpin all motion picture technology. Its sequential image strip was a direct precursor to celluloid film stock. Pixar named its animation studio building the Zoetrope in tribute.
April 23, 1867
159 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on April 23
They built a shrine to a goddess of desire right after losing an army. In 215 BC, panic drove Rome's leaders to dedicate Venus Erycina on the Capitoline Hill fo…
A queen falls, not in battle's heat, but to a sack that turns stone to dust. In 599, Uneh Chan of Calakmul crushed Palenque's defenses, killing Queen Yohl Ik'na…
Dagobert III ascended to the Frankish throne following the death of his father, Childebert III. His reign deepened the decline of Merovingian authority, as the …
A seven-year-old boy in a wool tunic stood under a canopy while nobles held their breath. Dagobert III didn't rule; his father, Pepin II, did everything behind …
Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, defeated a Viking-Dublin alliance at the Battle of Clontarf on April 23, 1014, near modern Dublin. The fighting lasted from da…
Brian Boru's army smashed the Viking line at Clontarf, yet the High King died under his own tent while celebrating victory. Three thousand men fell that April d…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.