Timeline Thursday 23 April 1896

Events on Thursday 23 April 1896 1

• 1896 Vitascope premieres motion pictures in New York First major public film screening in the United States On 23 April 1896 Thomas Edison's Vitascope projector gave its first public demonstration at Koster and Bial's Music Hall in New York City, screening short films to a paying audience. It was among the earliest commercial motion picture exhibitions in the United States and helped launch the American film industry. Vaudeville houses across the country soon added film screenings to their programs.