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It is about 12:30AM here at beautiful Rochester, New York, but there is a light on in one of the houses. Why is that? Why, it is George Eastman, experimenting with different kinds of chemicals for film.
George Eastman, the man behind Kodak, was born on March 14, 1854. He was born in Waterville New York, but when he was six, he and his family moved to Rochester, New York. Being born into a poor family made life really hard for young Eastman. Eastman's sister, Emma Kate, was crippled by polio, which made life saddening for the Eastmans. Eastman was the only boy in his family. There was Mrs. Eastman, Mr. Eastman, Maria, Ellen, Emma Kate, and George.
When Eastman went to school he used his creativity to keep himself from getting bored. He usually made puzzles out of sewing needles and sold them to his friends. Another thing young Eastman liked to do was take pictures. I think this really had an effect on why he invented what he did.At age nine, Eastman started thinking about getting a job to help support the family, but every time he mentioned it his parents just said, "NO!!" The only "job" Eastman had at that age was doing chores around the house, but that didn't help the Eastmans at all.
When Eastman turned 15, his Uncle Horace sent him $10. With that money he decided to buy framed photographs of himself, a century plant for his mother, and a jackknife.
After being "messenger boy" for five years, Eastman got very tired of it. So, when Eastman was twenty years old, he quit his job as messenger boy, and a job as Junior Bookkeeper at Rochester Savings Bank. This really helped the family. First, He could keep the bills paid, and second, he had a place to keep the family's money. Because working at a bank can be stressful, Eastman needed a hobby to relax him when he got home from work each day. First, he tried the flute, but after two years of disappointment he took up horseback riding.
After working at the bank for quite a while Eastman decided to take a vacation. His fellow workers asked him where he replied, "Santo Domingo."
"Santo Domingo!" a few of the workers cried, " You don't go to Central America every day you know, you better take a camera." said the employees. In the 1870's cameras weren't pocket sized and buying one was a big task. The user of the camera had to carry almost 50 pounds of equipment. Eastman paid five dollars for lessons on how to use the equipment.
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