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This is not one of those
stories.
This is a story about a man who you've probably heard of unless
you live in a cave -- a man who invented something called the
multiplane camera in 1937. Most people have never heard of the
multiplane camera, but it was the only invention this inventor ever
patented. This single invention has touched the life of nearly every
American, and the inventor's name is synonymous with the company he
co-founded with his brother.
He was born in Chicago in 1901 and grew up on a farm near
Marcelline, Mo. He kept a mouse AND a duck alive for more than 70
years. In fact, both the mouse and the duck are alive and doing
well, even though the inventor died in 1966.
He grew up not far from where J.C. Penney (as in J.C. Penney) was
born. J.C. Penney went on to amass a fortune as one of the world's
most successful retailers, but the young inventor's story is just as
impressive. Farming wasn't what made him famous, though.
He began drawing at age 5 and sold his first works at age 7. When
he was just 16, he wanted to join the military but was rejected
because of his age. He then joined the Red Cross and was sent
overseas. He was assigned to drive an ambulance, which he covered
with cartoons that he had drawn.
When he returned stateside in 1920, he moved to Kansas City to
begin a career as an advertising cartoonist. A few years later, he
moved to California at age 22 with just $40 in his pocket to join
his brother and pursue his dream.
The aforementioned mouse and duck made him wealthy and famous
during the Great Depression. You can imagine the popularity of a
70-year-old mouse and duck in circuses as a sideshow attraction.
What a team!
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That's not what happened, though. So what's the significance of
the multiplane camera?
The multiplane camera brought better-looking, richer
animation to the big screen. It fueled the imagination of the
inventor-artist and allowed other artists who worked for him to
expand their work. He also used it to produce "Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs," which was the first full-length animated film to use
the multiplane camera, in 1937.
Since you've probably figured out the identities of the man, the
mouse and the duck by now, there's no use in stringing you along any
more. We're talking about Walt Disney (as in Walt Disney).
Disney introduced Mickey Mouse in his second movie, "Steamboat
Willie," in 1928 and Donald Duck in "The Little Wise Hen" in 1934.
Walt Disney earned the first of his 30 Academy Awards in 1932. He
also received the Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon Johnson in
1964. He and his wife, Lilly, had two daughters.
What's particularly inspiring about Disney is how he rose out of
nowhere to become an industry giant. From humble beginnings, The
Walt Disney Company has made hundreds of films since Walt left for
Hollywood in 1923 to join his brother. Including theme parks and
merchandise, the company rings up annual sales of more than $22
billion. Walt Disney was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame
posthumously in 2000.
There's one other thing you might not have known about Walt
Disney: He was afraid of mice!
[Text from file received
from Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2007
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