I watched the short "Roundhay Garden Scene" which was recorded in 1888 and thought, "Certainly there can't be any moving pictures older than this." Then "Passage de Venus" was suggested. If I was shocked that moving pictures went as far back as 1888, I was stunned to see something dated 1874.
Per Wikipedia it was shot by a French astronomer in Japan. It is supposedly Venus passing in front of the sun. Who am I to argue? The footage, as you can imagine, is very grainy and of poor quality. I'm surprised it survived long enough to be made into a digital format. It's only six seconds long and without being told, it's anyone's guess what you're looking at. One thing is for sure, you're looking at history, and that's enough for me.
Per Wikipedia it was shot by a French astronomer in Japan. It is supposedly Venus passing in front of the sun. Who am I to argue? The footage, as you can imagine, is very grainy and of poor quality. I'm surprised it survived long enough to be made into a digital format. It's only six seconds long and without being told, it's anyone's guess what you're looking at. One thing is for sure, you're looking at history, and that's enough for me.