Short answers, pulled from the story.
The magic lantern was invented by Christiaan Huygens in 1659. This date is derived from a document found between papers dated in 1659, though Huygens later regretted the creation and attempted to sabotage the device.
Christiaan Huygens is credited with inventing the magic lantern, though Thomas Walgensten coined the term Laterna Magica. Walgensten demonstrated the device in cities like Paris and Rome between 1664 and 1670, selling many lanterns to Italian princes.
Limelight invented in the 1820s made magic lantern images vivid enough for large audiences by emitting about 6000 to 8000 lumens. This chemical light source burned a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen to create an intensely bright flame before electric arc lamps replaced it in the 1860s.
The magic lantern created animation by projecting two glass slides together, one with a stationary part and another with a movable part set in motion by hand or mechanism. By 1709, opticians like Themme produced moving slides with rotating wheels and falling bombs using mechanical devices.
Phantasmagoria horror shows using the magic lantern became popular in Europe from the late 18th century to well into the 19th century. The magician physicist Phylidor created the first true phantasmagoria show in Vienna from 1790 to 1792, and Etienne-Gaspard Robert performed Fantasmagorie shows in Paris from 1798 to 1803.
The magic lantern was in wide use from the 18th century until the mid-20th century when it was superseded by the slide projector. The popularity of magic lanterns waned after the introduction of movies in the 1890s, but they remained common until slide projectors became widespread during the 1950s.