Léon Gaumont, born May 10, 1864 - died August 10, 1946, was a French inventor and industrialist who was a pioneer of the motion picture industry. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Events January - March January 21 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign starts. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ...

Léon Gaumont

Born Léon Ernest Gaumont in Paris, France, he was gifted with a mechanical mind that as an adult led to his working for a company that manufactured precision instruments. However, he had been fascinated by photography as far back as early childhood and when offered a job at the Comptoir géneral de photographie in 1893, he jumped at the opportunity. His decision proved fortunate when two years later he was given the opportunity to acquire the business. In August of 1895, he partnered with the astronomer Joseph Vallot, the famous engineer Gustave Eiffel , and the financier Alfred Besnier to purchase the business. Their entity, called L. Gaumont et Cie is today the world's oldest surviving film company. Pre 1923 image not subject to copyright This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... Pre 1923 image not subject to copyright This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (December 15, 1832 - December 27, 1923; French pronunciation /EfEl/ in X-SAMPA, in English usually pronounced /ajfEl/) was a French engineer and entrepreneur, specialist of metallic structures. ... Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ...

Léon Gaumont's company sold camera equipment and film, but in 1897 inaugurated a motion picture production business with a young company secretary named Alice Guy. Initially, they made films for the picture arcade business such as that operated by the Lumière brothers but Alice Guy began making short films based on scripts. Gaumont rapidly expanded the business into cinematographic equipment for amateurs and within a few years his company ranked second only to Pathé Frères in the field. In 1903, Gaumont was granted patents for his Chronophone and loudspeaker system designed to work with his sound on disc talking films. The Etablissements Gaumont was founded in 1906 to handle film production and distribution plus to build a chain of movie theaters including the giant Gaumont Palace in Paris. By 1910 Léon Gaumont had improved his sound invention to the point where he was able to provide enough volume for up to 4000 people in a theater. In 1912, Gaumont developed a color process for film. Alice Guy-Blaché (July 1, 1873–March 24, 1968) was a pioneer filmmaker who was the first female director in the motion picture industry and is considered to be the first ever director of a fiction film. ... The Lumière Brothers, Louis Jean ( October 5, 1864– June 6, 1948) and Auguste Marie Louis Nicholas ( October 19, 1862– April 10, 1954), were the creators of the cinematographic projector. ... A short film (also short or short subject) is a motion picture that is shorter than the average feature film. ...

One of the two dominant forces in film in all of Europe, World War I profoundly affected Leon Gaumont's business fortunes, nevertheless, before retiring in 1930, he had built one of the most important film companies in history. On his retirement, a restructuring of ownership took place through financing provided by the Banque Nationale de Crédit and with a capital stock issue the new company called Gaumont-Franco-Film-Aubert (GFFA) came into existence. Four years later, a scandal erupted following the collapse of the Banque Nationale de Crédit and GFFA was forced to file for bankruptcy protection. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Léon Gaumont died in 1946 in Sainte-Maxime, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France and was buried in the Cimetière de Belleville in Paris. In 1995, on the 100th anniversary of French film, a 100 Franc coin was issued with Léon Gaumont's image. Capital Marseilles Area 31,400 km² Regional President Michel Vauzelle ( PS) (since 1998) Population   - 2004 estimate   - 1999 census   - Density (Ranked 3rd) 4,666,000 4,506,151 149/km² (2004) Arrondissements 18 Cantons 237 Communes 963 Départements Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-Maritimes Bouches-du-Rhône Hautes-Alpes...