Videos weren’t invented in a single moment; they evolved from 19th-century motion-picture experiments into electronic video systems. The earliest surviving moving image is usually traced to Louis Le Prince’s 1888 film Roundhay Garden Scene , while video as an electronic medium grew later in the early 20th century.

Quick timeline

  • 1868: early motion-sequence ideas like the flip book appeared.
  • 1878: Eadweard Muybridge’s horse photos showed motion in sequence.
  • 1888: Roundhay Garden Scene became the oldest surviving moving image.
  • 20th century: electronic video and television technologies developed after that.

Simple answer

If you mean “when did moving pictures start,” the best short answer is the late 1800s. If you mean modern electronic video, it came later, through television and recording technology in the 1900s.

Why it’s a bit complicated

“Video” can mean a few different things: motion pictures, televised images, or recorded electronic footage. That’s why different sources point to different milestones instead of one exact invention date.

Bottom line: the roots of video are in the 1870s–1880s, with modern video technology developing afterward in the 20th century.