How did Hollywood become what it is today?
In the early 1900s, New York was the hub for movie production, filming, and distribution. How did Hollywood, all the way in California, grow into the Hollywood we know today? Thomas Edison made the whole thing possible! The movie camera was invented by William Dixon in 1891 and was patented by Thomas Edison in 1892.
Initially, the film was a novel idea, but it quickly became cheap entertainment for the masses. At that point, Edison was already a wealthy man. This is an opportunity to earn even more money.
However, he did not appreciate immigrants taking advantage of this new business of his since he was xenophobic and racist. He was particularly offended by films that depicted people of color and wanted them removed altogether. Edison formed Motion Pictures Patent Company to buy all motion picture patents to create a monopoly in the motion picture industry at the time.
A cartel was formed to control who could own film and movie equipment. Through this practice, he basically started suing everyone who infringed upon his patents in 1908. He basically made it illegal to make a film without his approval. The excuse he used was that movies needed to have a…
