← All stories
The Story of the Camera
How we froze a moment forever
Grab your imaginary magnifying glass and let's jump back in time to see how people learned to catch light and freeze a memory forever!
1/5
- Over 1,000 years ago
Dark Room Magic
Light peeked through a tiny hole into a dark room and painted a picture on the wall. The picture was completely upside down!
The big idea
A camera works by trapping light on a surface to save a picture.
Fun facts
- ✨ The word 'camera' comes from a Latin phrase that means 'dark chamber'!
- ✨ The world's oldest surviving photo is almost 200 years old.
- ✨ Astronauts left 12 cameras behind on the Moon to make room for heavy moon rocks!
Science words
- Lens — A curved piece of glass that bends light to make pictures look sharp.
- Film — A special strip of plastic that changes color when light touches it.
- Pixel — A tiny colored dot on a screen that joins millions of others to make a photo.