The French are responsible for the first special effect. But if it's any consolation, you fans of "freedom" fries, it was a complete accident.


It was the 1890s in Paris and early filmmaker Georges Melies was capturing: traffic. His personal narration may have gone somezing like this (please supply your own faux-accent): 
Ze horses trudge by. Zeir dung produces a foul stench in ze air. I take anozer deep drag hoping to occlude my nasal passages. I am dizzy and a song from my youth plays in my head. For a moment I escape from ze drudgeries of life.

As a bus passed by in front of Melies' camera, the camera jammed. Once he got it working again, a hearse passed by.  When Melies developed the film he found that it appeared as if  the bus turned into the hearse. Viola- the first special effect.