The first image named its momentSourced
A date and place marked the copying breakthrough
On October 22, 1938, Chester Carlson and Otto Kornei produced a xerographic copy in Astoria, New York. The image carried the date and ASTORIA. The early demonstration preserved its own time and location rather than a long document.
The copied words recorded when and where the breakthrough happened.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
Chester Carlson · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05