You saw it here first: Pittsburgh's Nickelodeon introduced the
moving picture theater to the masses in 1905 Share with others:
The world's film industry started in Pittsburgh, 100 years ago
today, in a dingy storeroom teeming with working-class
immigrants, sexual tension, danger and the still-fresh thrill of
seeing moving pictures.A ceremony and plaque on Smithfield
Street celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Nickelodeon,
which opened in June 1905. The plaque, replaced with one
honoring the Nickelodeon's founder, has a few inaccuracies: the
two moving pictures it mentions were produced at least two years
after the Nickelodeon opened and the title of one film is given
as "The Battled Burglar" -- the correct title is "The Baffled
Burglar." Click photo for larger image. The mix was so volatile
that during the first day, 450 people watched movies at the new
theater, which its owners dubbed the "Nickelodeon." By the
second day, more than 1,500 people stood in line to see movies
there, and eventually the Sm