• 1946:
  • Henri Cartier-Bresson had a posthumous exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, despite surviving imprisonment during World War II.
  • Chester Carlson introduced the first Xerography machine for photocopying images and text.
• 1947:
  • The Magnum photo agency was founded in Paris to support photojournalists.
  • Polaroid Land cameras offering one-minute photo prints were introduced by Edwin Land.
• 1948:
  • The 35mm Nikon camera was introduced in Japan.
  • Polaroid cameras became widely available for purchase.
• 1952:
  • The photography journal Aperture was founded by Minor White and other photographers.
• 1955:
  • The Family of Man photography exhibition opened at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, showcasing 508 images by photographers from 68 countries. The exhibit emphasized the shared humanity of people worldwide.
• 1957:
  • Color Polaroid film became available.
• 1959:
  • Robert Frank published The Americans, a book of social documentary photography, initially in France and later reprinted in New York.
• 1964:
  • The U.S. spacecraft Ranger transmitted thousands of photographs of the moon, marking a significant moment in the shift toward digital photography.
• 1970:
  • Photography was used to document and promote monumental sculptures like Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty.
• 1971:
  • Polaroid introduced the SX-70 system, featuring collapsible cameras and instant color images.
• 1972:
  • The Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester began publishing Afterimage, a journal focusing on photography and other visual media.
• 1982:
  • Sony demonstrated an electronic still-image digital camera.
• 1984:
  • Public art projects incorporated large-scale slide projections and artist billboards, reflecting the social significance of photography.
• 1989:
  • NASA scientists captured remarkable photographs of Neptune from Voyager 2.
• 1990:
  • Adobe Photoshop was introduced, revolutionizing digital image processing.
• 1997:
  • NASA's Pathfinder transmitted detailed photographs of Mars.
• 2002:
  • The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp series featuring iconic photographs by masters like Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange.
• 2003:
  • The first widely available megapixel camera-phone with a built-in flash and zoom was introduced.
• 2005:
  • Flickr originated as a platform for social-media photography, allowing image sharing and peer reviews.