George Eastman

Hello, my name is George Eastman, and I helped make it easy for everyone to take photographs. I was born on July 12th, 1854, in a small town in New York. My family did not have a lot of money when I was growing up. To help my mom, I left school when I was only 14 years old to get a job. Even though I wasn't in school, I stayed very curious. I always wanted to know how things worked and how I could make them better. That curiosity helped me my whole life.

When I was a young man in the 1870s, I decided to try a new hobby: photography. But back then, taking a picture was not simple at all. You needed a giant camera that was as big as a microwave oven. It was so heavy that you had to carry it on a three-legged stand called a tripod. You also needed a dark tent to work in and lots of messy chemicals to make the picture appear. It was a lot of work. I thought to myself, 'There has to be an easier way.' I wanted everyone, not just professional photographers, to be able to capture special moments.

I was determined to find a better way, so I started experimenting in my mom's kitchen every night after work. After lots of hard work, I invented something new called flexible roll film. It replaced the big, heavy glass plates that old cameras used. With my new film, I could create a much smaller and lighter camera. In 1888, I was finally ready to share my invention with the world. I called it the Kodak camera. I made a simple promise to everyone who bought it. My slogan was, 'You press the button, we do the rest.' It meant that anyone could now take a picture easily.

My company, which I called Eastman Kodak, became very successful. Because of this, I was able to make a lot of money, but I knew it was important to share my good fortune with others. I wanted to be fair to all the people who worked hard at my company, so I made sure they were treated well. I also loved my city of Rochester, New York. I gave money to help build schools so children could get a good education, and I helped build hospitals so people could be healthy. It made me happy to help make my community a better place for everyone to live.

I lived to be 77 years old, and I was so happy that I got to see how much my inventions changed the world. Before, only a few people could take pictures, but my work made photography simple and fun for everyone. Today, people remember me for helping families everywhere capture their precious memories. Because of my ideas, you can look at snapshots of your family and friends and remember all the happy times you've shared.