“Quicker ’n a Wink“ (1940)

Directed by George Sidney, Quicker ’n a Wink introduces MIT Professor Harold “Doc“ Edgerton who demonstrates strobe photography. This film allows us to see what happens at speeds too fast to be discerned by the naked eye. Some well-known examples include a flying bullet that shatters a light bulb, the motion of a hummingbird’s wings, a cat lapping milk, and falling liquid drops. A Hollywood hit, Quicker ’n a Wink won an Academy Award for Best One-Reel Short. Courtesy of MIT Museum. 1940. MIT Museum Collections.