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When was photography invented?

The basic principles of photography have existed since the time of the ancient Greeks, in the fourth century B.C. The concept of still photography dates back to the tenth century, when Arab scientists developed what was known as the "camera obscura" (Latin for "dark chamber"). The camera obscura was essentially a completely darkened enclosure with a small aperture (opening) that admitted light. The light rays would cast an inverted (upside-down) image of external objects onto a flat surface opposite the aperture. The image could then be studied and traced by someone inside the camera or when viewed from outside through a peephole. An entire chamber could become a camera obscura if all light was shut out except for one small hole through which the image of the outside world would reflect upside-down on the opposite wall. This early technique was utilized by artists in the mid-1500s to make...

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