* Workers Leaving the Factory is the first film shot on the Lumiere Cinematographe system.

* December 28 - One of the most famous film screenings of history takes place. In the Grand Cafe in Paris, patrons paid to see a 25 minute show of 10 films. The success started a filming boom all over the world.

* R.W. Paul and his assistant create a projector for their films.

*Woodville Latham and his sons create a projector and camera. They show one film to reporters on April 21. In May, the three open a small storefront theatre which does modest business for a few years. The projector did not gather much attention because of its dim image. However, the Latham group did create a lasting invention that the film industry still uses today: the Latham Loop was a way to allow for longer films. Early films were short because the film stock would break under tension. The Latham Loop was a simple, but effective loop, that released the tension and allowed for longer films.

* C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat first exhibit their Phantoscope projector. Later that year, the two break up and Armat improves the projector. It is renamed the Vitascope and obtains backing from the business team of Norman Raff and Frank Gammon, who display the device to Edison. Edison agreed to manufacture the projector and supply films for it under the name of "Edison's Vitascope."

* Geoges Melies starts up a small company and begins filming fantasy movies using camera tricks and painted scenery. Melies was the first to use stop-motion and other special effects to create complex magic and fantasy scenes. He was also one of the first producers to utilize editing by cutting the film in order to match movements of one object perfectly with another object, into which the first would be transformed.

* Charles Pathe purchases some of Paul's imitation Kinetoscopes and forms the company Pathe Freres.