Detail map of Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States Overview map of Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States

A: Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States

Invention of the Image Scanner; Creation of the First Digital Image

1957
The first image ever scanned on this machine was a 5 cm square photograph of Kirsch's then-three-month-old son, Walden.
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org
The first image ever scanned on the first scanner developed for use with a computer was this 5 cm square photograph of Kirsch's three-month-old son, Walden. The black and white image had a resolution of 176 pixels on a side.

In 1957 Russell A. Kirsch and a team at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, using the SEAC computer, built the first image scanner—a drum scanner. Using that device they took the first digital photograph,  a 5 cm square photograph of Kirsch's then-three-month-old son, Walden. 

Timeline Themes

Imaging / Photography / Computer Vision
Graphics / Visualization / Computer Generated Imagery