August 19 is World Photography Day, marking the anniversary of the daguerreotype process's public announcement in 1839.
On this day
1839The French government announced the daguerreotype photographic process as a free gift to the world, one of the earliest practical methods for producing a permanent image.Pierre-Ambroise Richebourg via Wikimedia Commons · CC0
1812The USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812, a victory that earned it the nickname 'Old Ironsides'.Charles Ware via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1757IndiaThe East India Company minted its first rupee coin at its newly established mint in Calcutta, under rights granted following its treaty with the Nawab of Bengal.Charles Williams via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Did you know
The first photograph ever to capture a human being was an accident: an 1838 Daguerre image of a busy Paris boulevard looks completely empty except for one blurry man having his boots shined — everyone else was moving too fast for the multi-minute exposure to register.