A D V E N T U R E S   in   C Y B E R S O U N D

1888: George Eastman (1854-1932) introduces the Kodak box camera, selling for $25, and with it the idea of sending the camera and its exposed film to Kodak's factory for printing and processing. According to his biographer Elizabeth Brayer: 'By separating the two main functions of photography, the picture taking and the processing, Eastman revolutionised the industry.'

Eastman's innovations spanned photography and the introduction of cine film. A brilliant marketing man, he coined the name Kodak which fulfilled his criteria of a name that sounded the same in every language and could not be imitated. He fought constant battles over his patents, was a managerial innovator, a champion of black education and a major sponsor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In person, he was a shy enigma who was devoted to his mother and appears to have had no other intimate personal relations. His end was dramatic. Whilst suffering from a painful degenerative nervous disorder, he shot himself through the heart. His suicide note read: 'To my friends, my work is done - Why wait? GE'.

Source: http://www.cequel.co.uk/acclarke/shc.html

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