09/04/2026
This day in history: September 4th:
**George Eastman patents Kodak camera**
On September 4, 1888, inventor George Eastman secures U.S. Patent No. 388,850 for a small roll-film hand camera and registers the trademark “Kodak” (Reg. No. 15,825). Designed with the novice photographer in mind, the device optimizes ease of use. The preloaded roll of film and new box-style camera revolutionizes photography, transforming the field from a specialized profession into a popular, widely adopted pastime.
Measuring just 3.75 by 3.25 by 6.5 inches, the handheld Kodak camera weighed less than 2 pounds and required no adjustments or specialized technical training. The once-cumbersome affair of taking a photograph—which in earlier cameras had required loading heavy glass plates—now only involved pulling on a string to arm the shutter, pointing the camera at a subject and pressing the shutter release.