What is a kinetiscope?

A kinetiscope is a device, which allows people to view motion pictures. The kinetiscope was one of the first such devices widely developed and distributed, and while the design ultimately proved to be a failure, it clearly inspired other inventors, so it could be considered a landmark invention in the history of film. This device was invented in the laboratory of Thomas Edison, and as was conventional for inventions in his lab, Edison himself, making it challenging to determine precisely who worked on the project, took out the patent.