The original fire department dash-cam. Check out this 1927 view of FDNY.
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We think we are so smart with our technology today, but the video above proves FDNY had a dash-cam installed in a chief’s car back in 1927 (starting at 2:22 in the video). I imagine it was a bit bulkier than the ones today and I think any of us would have hate to wear a helmet-cam back then.
This film has been making the rounds on the Internet since the new year began. WorldBulletin.net refers to it as a 148-year-old film. Really? That would make this 1865. Either their sense of history or their math is a bit off.
One site talks about about how quickly the chief “zips through the city”. While I am sure the chief wasn’t letting any grass grow under him (note the trips down some sidewalks to get around traffic jams), much of the speed comes from the film maker undercranking, or running the film through the camera at a slower speed to make everything move faster. No digital effects then.
There is a lot more to the film than the chief responding, including brief tours of Manhattan Fire Alarm and Brooklyn Fire Alarm and a fire to close it out. Enjoy.
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