Summary
Highlights
On June 23, 2021, the patent for the QWERTY keyboard, granted 123 years prior to Latham Scholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel Sewell, is highlighted. This seemingly strange device, combining elements of a piano and a kitchen table, transformed the world and affects daily life despite its modern version rarely being used as originally intended. The QWERTY keyboard's layout remains central to how the English language is written on electronic devices today.
William Austin Burt, known for his solar compass, also patented the 'typographer' in 1829. This machine aimed to automate the laborious process of hand-copying official documents. While not the first, Burt produced a working prototype that gained interest but lacked commercial success due to its slowness and lack of market demand. Numerous other 'typewriting' machines were patented over time, with one estimate suggesting the typewriter was invented at least 52 times.
A more successful design was the Hanson Writing Ball, invented by Rasmus Malling-Hansen in 1865. This device used 52 keys on a brass hemisphere and won awards, gaining some popularity in Europe. However, it failed to attract enough investment for factory production, proving less commercially viable than the later patented design by Glidden and Scholes.
In 1867, Carlos Glidden, inspired by Jonathan Pratt's pterograph, collaborated with C Latham Scholes and Samuel Sewell to improve typewriting design. By 1867, they had a machine capable of printing the full alphabet, numbers, and basic punctuation. Businessman James Densmore, despite initial skepticism, invested in the machine, leading to further development. The initial patent was merely a proof of concept, but Densmore's continued investment and refinement efforts, testing it with court reporters, gave it an advantage.
In 1873, Densmore attracted the attention of Philo Remington, head of the arms manufacturer E. Remington and Son. Remington, seeking diversification, agreed to manufacture the machine. This collaboration allowed the device to evolve, eventually typing in both upper and lower case. The Scholes and Glidden typewriter, backed by Densmore's capital and Remington's manufacturing and distribution network, became the 'first practical typewriter' and achieved commercial success, unlike its competitors.
The practical typewriter had a massive impact on business, becoming indispensable in professional offices. It also dramatically influenced the role of women in the workplace. The number of women stenographers and typists surged from seven in 1870 to over half a million in 1920. Clerical positions offered women significantly higher wages than factory work, contributing to an economic incentive for businesses to hire women, who by 1900 made up approximately three-quarters of clerical workers.
The Scholes and Glidden design introduced the QWERTY keyboard layout. While initial designs used piano-like keys, later versions adopted keys based on telegraph machines. The layout, where keys are arranged to prevent jamming, has several debated origins, including feedback from telegraph workers, suggestions from a school superintendent, or even a legend about enabling salesmen to type 'typewriter' using only the top row. A 1905 report credits typist Mrs. M.A. Saunders for suggesting the final arrangement in 1875.
Despite numerous alternative keyboard designs, the QWERTY layout became standardized. Remington, as the largest member of the Union Typewriter Company trust formed in 1893, played a key role in this standardization. The prevalence of QWERTY machines led to its instruction in typing schools, creating a 'lock-in' effect. QWERTY survived the transition to electric typewriters and computer keyboards, even influencing modern computer interfaces and shortcut designs, demonstrating the power of history to impact the present. The video concludes by acknowledging that voice recognition technology might eventually eliminate keyboards altogether, making QWERTY a forgotten piece of history.