David Brewster's Stereoscope,1844

3D History:

A new invention by David Brewster in 1844, Stereoscope could take 3D photographic images. At the Great Exhibition in 1851, a picture of Queen Victoria taken by Louis Jules Duboscq, using the improved technology became very well known throughout the world.
Kinematascope, a stereo animation camera was invented, followed the first anaglyph movie was produced in 1915. In 1922 the first public 3D movie, "The Power of Love", was produced and it was in 1935 that the first 3D Color movie was produced.
The 1950s saw a comeback for the 3D technology. During these times, TVs had become very popular. By 1950, a number of 3D movies were being created, for instance, "Bwana Devil",, "House of Wax" and many more.
In the 1960s, a new technology known as Space-Vision 3D was released. This new technology removed the need to use two cameras to display 3D movies. The first movie to use this technology was "The Bubble" and the 3D experience still lured in huge audiences.
In 1970, Stereovision, a new 3D technology was developed, which used a special anamorphic lens that would widen the picture using a series of polaroid filters.
By 1980, many more movies in 3d technology were released, like, Friday the 13th Part III, and Jaws 3-D. In 1986, Canada developed the first 3D movie using polarized glasses, called "Echos of the Sun".
In the 1990s, quite recently, many films were released in IMAX 3D. Some of the most popular were “Into the Deep" and , "Wings of Courage".
In the 2000s, many big studio movies were released in 3D, using the latest HD video cameras. Some of them are "Spy Kids 3D: Game over", "Aliens of the Deep", and "The Adventures of Sharkboy Lavagirl”,"The Polar Express".

The Stereoscope I Grew Up With

VR History

In 1838 Charles Wheatstone’s research demonstrated that the brain processes the different two-dimensional images from each eye into a single object of three dimensions. Viewing two side by side stereoscopic images or photos through a stereoscope gave the user a sense of depth and immersion.
The later development of the popular View-Master stereoscope (patented 1939), was used for “virtual tourism”. The design principles of the Stereoscope is used today for the popular Google Cardboard and low budget VR head mounted displays for mobile phones.
In 1929 Edward Link created the “Link trainer” (patented 1931) probably the first example of a commercial flight simulator, which was entirely electromechanical.
In the 1930s a story by science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum (Pygmalion’s Spectacles) contains the idea of a pair of goggles that let the wearer experience a fictional world through holographics, smell, taste and touch. In hindsight the experience Weinbaum describes for those wearing the goggles are uncannily like the modern and emerging experience of virtual reality, making him a true visionary of the field.
In the mid 1950s cinematographer Morton Heilig developed the Sensorama (patented 1962) which was an arcade-style theatre cabinet that would stimulate all the senses, not just sight and sound. It featured stereo speakers, a stereoscopic 3D display, fans, smell generators and a vibrating chair. The Sensorama was intended to fully immerse the individual in the film.
Morton Heilig’s next invention was the Telesphere Mask (patented 1960) and was the first example of a head-mounted display (HMD), albeit for the non-interactive film medium without any motion tracking. The headset provided stereoscopic 3D and wide vision with stereo sound.
1961 Headsight – **First motion tracking HMD
In 1961, two Philco Corporation engineers (Comeau & Bryan) developed the first precursor to the HMD as we know it today – the Headsight. It incorporated a video screen for each eye and a magnetic motion tracking system, which was linked to a closed circuit camera.
In 1968 Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull created the first VR / AR head mounted display (Sword of Damocles) that was connected to a computer and not a camera. It was a large and scary looking contraption that was too heavy for any user to comfortably wear and was suspended from the ceiling (hence its name).
1969 – Artificial Reality
In 1969 Myron Kruegere a virtual reality computer artist developed a series of experiences which he termed “artificial reality” in which he developed computer-generated environments that responded to the people in it.
1987 – Virtual reality the name was born
Even after all of this development in virtual reality, there still wasn’t an all-encompassing term to describe the field. This all changed in 1987 when Jaron Lanier, founder of the visual programming lab (VPL), coined (or according to some popularised) the term “virtual reality”. The research area now had a name. Through his company VPL research Jaron developed a range of virtual reality gear including the Dataglove (along with Tom Zimmerman) and the EyePhone head mounted display. They were the first company to sell Virtual Reality goggles (EyePhone 1 $9400; EyePhone HRX $49,000) and gloves ($9000).

1991 – Virtuality Group Arcade Machines
We began to see virtual reality devices to which the public had access, although household ownership of cutting edge virtual reality was still far out of reach.
1992 – The Lawnmower Man
The Lawnmower Man movie introduced the concept of virtual reality to a wider audience. It was in part based on the founder of Virtual Reality Jaron Lanier and his early laboratory days.
1993 – SEGA announce new VR glasses
Sega announced the Sega VR headset for the Sega Genesis console in 1993 at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1993. The wrap-around prototype glasses had head tracking, stereo sound and LCD screens in the visor.
1995 – Nintendo Virtual Boy
The Nintendo Virtual Boy (originally known as VR-32) was a 3D gaming console that was hyped to be the first ever portable console that could display true 3D graphics. It was first released in Japan and North America at a price of $180 but it was a commercial failure despite price drops.
Resurge in Late 2013 till now we are here.
Future is Augmented Reality, then a place of Mixed Reality which blends everything into seamless experience, it may be too real!!! Let VR be the training wheels and guide you on the Other world etiquette!