How a 3 year old helped invent the Polaroid camera
“Don’t do anything that someone else can do.
”
When it comes to solving problems or making creative breakthroughs, it can be helpful to think with a childlike mindset. Children aren’t bound by convention or “the way things have always been done.” They ask questions adults might dismiss, and in doing so, they open doors to entirely new possibilities.
Few stories illustrate this better than that of Edwin Land, the scientist, inventor, and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation.
Born on May 7th, 1909, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Land was a tireless innovator. The technologies developed in his labs were not only used in Polaroid’s products but also sunglasses, night vision goggles, and even the U-2 spy plane.
He was known for his relentless work ethic and deep curiosity, often immersing himself for hours or even days in research projects.
But his most iconic invention didn’t begin with a lab experiment; it began with a question from a child.
One sunny afternoon in Santa Fe, Land was taking photographs of his family. As he snapped pictures of his 3-year-old, she turned to him and asked:
“Daddy, why can’t I see the photos right now?”
It was a simple, innocent question. But to Land, it was profound. Why couldn’t you see a photo instantly?
Driven by his daughter’s curiosity, Land spent the next few years developing an answer. And in 1947, it resulted in the Polaroid instant camera.
The invention was revolutionary.
For the first time, people could take a photograph and hold a fully developed print in their hands within minutes. It was a commercial success.
More than 75 years later, the Polaroid camera remains a part of popular culture and is a testament to the importance of asking questions no matter how trivial or unsophisticated they may seem.
