However, the history of moving images goes back even further:
* 1878: Eadweard Muybridge creates a series of photographs capturing the phases of a horse's gallop, demonstrating that all four hooves are off the ground at one point. This work is considered a precursor to motion pictures.
* 1888: Louis Le Prince creates a series of short films using a camera he designed. However, his work is lost, and he later disappears under mysterious circumstances.
* 1891: William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, working for Thomas Edison, creates the Kinetoscope, a peephole device for viewing short films.
* 1895: The Lumière brothers premiere their "Cinematographe" in Paris, featuring short films of everyday life.
* 1896: The Lumières' films, including "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station," are shown in the United States, marking the beginning of cinema as we know it.
So, while "The Great Train Robbery" is widely regarded as the first commercially successful movie, the origins of filmmaking can be traced back to the late 19th century, with several individuals and advancements contributing to the development of this new medium.