Louis Daguerre as DaguerreotypeLouis Daguerre (1787-1851) stares out from a daguerreotype, his degraded picture a testament to the fragility of the photographic medium he helped invent and that came to be named after him. Daguerre's importance as pioneer of photography, though, is indelible—as evidenced by today's Google doodle in celebration of his 224th birthday.The French painter, printmaker, and theatrical designer announced his revolutionary imaging invention—pictures on silver-plated copper that required "only" minutes-long exposures—to the Académie des Sciences and the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1839. Public acclaim followed immediately."A number of inventors were working on photographic processes at the same time," said David Haberstich, curator of photography at the National Museum of American History. "But Daguerre's process was the first to be announced and the first to become popularized. Daguerre's concept really caught the imagination of the people."Though Daguerre's process largely belongs to history, love for his work has never entirely faded. "Daguerreotypes are still collected today and prized for their high quality and silvery appearance," Haberstich said.(See the first photo of the sun, created using Louis Daguerre's technology.)—Brian Handwerk

Daguerreotype from SSPL/Getty Images