Time Magazine have complied a short history of what they think are the pivotal moments in the history of special and visual effects. It’s a pretty good, if brief, list of the important technologies and techniques that have become standard tools in our industry.
If you are interested in the history of visual effects I would recommend that you read “Droidmaker” by Michael Rubin, which is a well written history of George Lucas and the creation of Industrial Light and Magic, Lucas Film and Pixar, as well as the people who created technology that we take for granted today.
Also, everyone watch this YouTube compilation of 100 years of VFX:
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