Meet the Inventors Who Revolutionized Writing Forever

1. Early Typewriters

The journey of the typewriter began long before the machines became commonplace in offices around the world. In 1808, Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri created one of the first typing machines, known as “Turri’s Writing Machine.” This early device was designed to help his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, write letters independently. Though primitive by modern standards, it represented the first practical application of mechanical writing.

In 1829, American William Austin Burt patented “The Typographer,” often considered America’s first typewriter. This machine featured a dial that users would rotate to select characters before pressing them onto paper. Though slow and cumbersome compared to handwriting, it demonstrated the concept’s potential.

The “Cembalo Scrivano” (or “Writing Harpsichord”) appeared in 1855, created by Italian Giuseppe Ravizza. This machine introduced elements that would influence later designs, including a keyboard layout and a paper-holding carriage.

Perhaps one of the most unique early designs was the 1865 “Hansen Writing Ball,” invented by Danish pastor Rasmus Malling-Hansen. This distinctive device resembled a pincushion on a base, with keys arranged in a hemisphere. The Writing Ball became commercially successful and was produced for decades.

However, the breakthrough that would define typewriter development came in 1868 with Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel Soule’s invention. Their machine, which would evolve into the Remington No. 1 of 1874, introduced key elements of modern typewriter design and the QWERTY keyboard layout that persists to this day.

2. The QWERTY Keyboard

The QWERTY keyboard layout—named for the first six letters of its top alphabetic row—stands as one of the most enduring technological standards in history. Contrary to popular belief, this arrangement wasn’t designed for optimal typing speed. Instead, Christopher Latham Sholes developed it to solve a mechanical problem.

Early typewriters suffered from a critical flaw: when neighboring keys were struck in rapid succession, their typebars would collide and jam. Sholes’ solution was ingenious in its simplicity—separate commonly used letter combinations by placing them on opposite sides of the keyboard basket. This reduced the likelihood of jams, allowing for faster typing without mechanical failures.

The layout first appeared in the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, manufactured by E. Remington and Sons beginning in 1874. Though other keyboard arrangements were developed—most notably Dvorak in the 1930s, which promised greater efficiency—QWERTY had already established itself as the standard.

The keyboard’s positioning of letters also aided early typewriter salespeople, who could impress potential customers by typing “TYPEWRITER” quickly using only the top row of keys—a clever marketing tactic that helped seal the layout’s dominance.

Despite being designed around the mechanical limitations of 19th-century machines, QWERTY’s cultural inertia proved unstoppable. Millions learned to type on this layout, creating a self-perpetuating standard that survived the transition to electric typewriters, word processors, computers, and eventually touchscreen devices, demonstrating how early design decisions can shape technology for centuries.

3. The Index Typewriter

While the keyboard typewriter eventually dominated the market, a parallel branch of typewriter evolution—the index typewriter—offers a fascinating glimpse into an alternative path of development. These machines, popular from the 1880s through the early 1900s, used a fundamentally different approach to mechanical writing.

Instead of a keyboard with individual keys, index typewriters typically featured a pointer or dial that users would position over a displayed alphabet chart before pressing a single key or lever to print the selected character. The Columbia Index Typewriter (1885), World Index Typewriter (1893), and American Index (1893) were notable examples of this design.

Index typewriters offered distinct advantages that helped them maintain a market niche. They were significantly less expensive than keyboard models, often selling for $5-15 compared to $100 or more for keyboard machines. Their simple mechanism made them more durable and less prone to jamming. Additionally, their compact size made them portable options for travelers, clergy, and others who needed occasional typing capability.

However, index typewriters had one insurmountable drawback: speed. While skilled operators of keyboard typewriters could achieve 60-100 words per minute, index typewriter users rarely exceeded 15-20 words per minute—still faster than handwriting for many, but too slow for professional use.

Index typewriters represent a technological path not taken—a reminder that the history of innovation is filled with viable alternatives that lost out not because they didn’t work, but because other solutions offered greater advantages for the most influential users.

4. Transition From Manual Typewriters to Electric Typewriters

The evolution from manual to electric typewriters represents one of the most significant transitions in writing technology, bridging the mechanical age with the approaching digital era. The first practical electric typewriter was patented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1872, but it would take decades before such machines became commercially viable.

The breakthrough came in 1933 when IBM introduced the Electromatic Model 01, the first successful electric typewriter. Unlike manual machines where typists provided all the force needed to press keys and advance mechanisms, electric typewriters used motor-driven systems to power these functions. This brought several revolutionary advantages:

• Significantly lighter key touch, reducing typist fatigue and injury
• More consistent imprint quality regardless of varying finger strength
• Higher potential typing speeds, with professionals achieving 120+ words per minute
• Carbon copies (up to 15-20 at once) of much higher quality

IBM’s 1961 introduction of the Selectric typewriter marked the pinnacle of electric typewriter design. Replacing the traditional typebar mechanism with a rotating “golf ball” element eliminated jamming entirely and allowed for interchangeable fonts. The Selectric and its successors dominated offices worldwide throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The late 1970s saw the emergence of electronic typewriters with memory capabilities, display screens, and formatting features—hybrid machines that bridged the gap between typewriters and word processors. These represented the final evolution of typewriter technology before computer-based word processing systems made typewriters largely obsolete for professional use by the 1990s.

This transition period transformed not just writing technology but workplace demographics, as the lighter touch of electric machines made typing more accessible and contributed to the continued feminization of secretarial roles throughout the mid-20th century.

5. The Typewriter’s Impact

Few inventions have transformed business, culture, and communication as profoundly as the typewriter. Its introduction revolutionized commercial correspondence by replacing often illegible handwritten business documents with standardized, clear text—improving efficiency and reducing misunderstandings in increasingly complex business environments.

The typewriter dramatically reshaped workplace demographics and opportunities. It created an entirely new profession—typist—that became one of the first socially acceptable office roles for women. By 1910, women constituted 80% of typists, giving them unprecedented entry into the business world, though often in strictly gender-defined roles. The “typewriter girl” became a cultural archetype that represented both new freedoms and continued limitations.

Literacy and education felt the typewriter’s influence as typing became an essential skill taught in schools. Writing itself transformed as authors adapted to the machine’s capabilities and constraints. Mark Twain submitted the first typewritten book manuscript for “Life on the Mississippi” in 1883, while many writers found the machine changed their composition process. Ernest Hemingway, who typed standing up, credited the device with influencing his direct style.

The standardization of written communication went beyond business. Government bureaucracy expanded through improved record-keeping capabilities, while legal documents gained clarity through typed standardization. Personal correspondence became more formal and structured as handwriting’s personal touch gave way to mechanical uniformity.

Perhaps most significantly, the typewriter democratized text production. What was once the domain of professional printers and publishers became accessible to individuals and small organizations, laying groundwork for the personal publishing revolution that digital technology would later complete.

The typewriter’s cultural legacy remains powerful even as the machines themselves have largely disappeared from daily use. The distinctive “clack” of keys, the “ding” of the carriage return bell, and the aesthetic of typewritten text continue to evoke nostalgia and represent an era when mechanical innovation was making the written word increasingly accessible to all.

When Was the First Typewriter Invented?

The question of when the “first” typewriter was invented has no simple answer, as various typing machines emerged across Europe and America throughout the 19th century. However, several key milestones stand out in typewriter development:

In 1808, Pellegrino Turri created his “Writing Machine” in Italy to help his blind friend write letters. Though few details of its mechanism survive, it featured an inked ribbon and keyboard-based character selection, establishing fundamental typewriter principles.

William Austin Burt patented America’s first typing machine, “The Typographer,” in 1829. This device used a rotating dial to select characters rather than a keyboard, making it more similar to later index typewriters than keyboard models.

Giuseppe Ravizza’s “Cembalo Scrivano” (1855) introduced several features that would become standard in later typewriters, including a keyboard, paper carriage, and a more practical typing mechanism.

The Hansen Writing Ball (1865), created by Danish inventor Rasmus Malling-Hansen, became one of the first commercially successful writing machines. Its unique hemispherical key arrangement allowed for relatively fast typing, and it was manufactured until the 1910s.

Most historians consider the Sholes and Glidden Typewriter of 1868 (later manufactured as the Remington No. 1 beginning in 1874) to be the first “modern” typewriter. This machine introduced the QWERTY keyboard layout and the front-striking typebar mechanism that would define typewriter design for a century.

While earlier machines demonstrated the concept of mechanical writing, the Sholes and Glidden/Remington design established the template that made typewriters practical for widespread commercial and personal use, earning its place as the first truly successful typewriter in history.