The Invention of Motion Pictures - from Phenakistoscope to Hollywood

The invention of motion pictures was only possible due to the prior discovery of the phenomenon of persistence of vision, the prior invention of photography and the ability to produce photographs with very brief exposure times. These discoveries were necessary before motion pictures could be invented, and given how human beings like to be entertained, it was also inevitable, that sooner or later in some society open to new ideas and technology, that motion pictures would be made to meet the human need for entertainment. Once motion pictures had been invented, sound and then color were added to create the motion pictures we are familiar with today. The order of discovery was inevitable and is an example of how social and cultural history has to follow a particular course determined by the structure of the world around us