Advertisement for the 50th anniversary Kodak camera

In 1930, George Eastman gave a free camera to any child that turned 12 in that year. Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his company’s founding in Rochester, New York, the campaign gave away more than 500,000 cameras in the United States and a large number in Canada as well. By putting a camera in the hands of a young person looking for a hobby, Eastman helped to foster a generation of photo enthusiasts and lifelong customers.