FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (August 3, 1860 - September 28, 1935) was a Scottish inventor who is credited with the invention of the motion picturecamera under the employ of Thomas Edison. In fact, Edison saw very little value in the contraption, but thought that it might be served to endorse his phonograph. On January 7, 1894 Dickson received a patent for motion picture film. It is generally believed that Dickson produced the world's first film, "Dickson Greeting", in 1891. Shortly afterwards, Dickson switched from the 19mm width, single sprocket film he was using, to the more stable 35mm, double-sided sprocket film still used as today's standard. In 1895 he left Edison to form the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, before returning permanently to work in Britain in 1897.