edward muybridge was born in england in 1820 -- in 1830. he was the son of a family of corn sellers on his father's side, and his mother's family ran barges up and down the thames river. his town, kingston, outside of london was a sleepy village on the thames, but in muybridge's youth the railroad was built out from the city connecting his town to the capital. this was a sort of astonishing moment when the railroads and telegraphs were being built out from the capital. muybridge becomes interested in machines, and people who knew him as a child said he was fascinated with making gadgets. he would build things for his cousins and little trick devices to impress them. now, he was better off than eight or nine of his other 80 or 90% of his peer group in that they had a nice place to live, but he was not of the class who would get the higher education. at this time maybe one in a hundred men -- let alone women -- were able to go to boarding schools and matriculate at oxford and cambridge. so muybridge went to the local grammar school and follow