Leading Up to the Invention of the Typewriter
The Printing Press
Jay David Bolter (2009) states the mechanization of writing began with the printing press which was developed in 1447 by Johannes Gutenburg. With its moveable parts it was able to duplicate words onto whole pages and took the place of scribes who were only able to write one letter at a time (Bolter, 2009). The initial manuscripts created on the printing press looked very similar to handwritten manuscripts, making it's transition into the writing world much more easier (Clement, 1997). Eventually printing presses were created with different fonts and spacing than handwritten manuscripts and this produced writing spaces that were "technically cleaner and clearer" (Bolter, 2009). The consequences of the printing press were increased book production, increased literacy, changed writing spaces, and the creation of new jobs.
Jay David Bolter (2009) states the mechanization of writing began with the printing press which was developed in 1447 by Johannes Gutenburg. With its moveable parts it was able to duplicate words onto whole pages and took the place of scribes who were only able to write one letter at a time (Bolter, 2009). The initial manuscripts created on the printing press looked very similar to handwritten manuscripts, making it's transition into the writing world much more easier (Clement, 1997). Eventually printing presses were created with different fonts and spacing than handwritten manuscripts and this produced writing spaces that were "technically cleaner and clearer" (Bolter, 2009). The consequences of the printing press were increased book production, increased literacy, changed writing spaces, and the creation of new jobs.
Invention of the Typewriter
Sholes and Glidden are credited for creating the first commercially successful typewriter (called the Type Writer), although there were many attempts in making a workable typewriter prior to their invention. Below is a general overview of the invention of the typewriter:
Sholes and Glidden are credited for creating the first commercially successful typewriter (called the Type Writer), although there were many attempts in making a workable typewriter prior to their invention. Below is a general overview of the invention of the typewriter:
- Henry Mill (1714) received the first patent to create a machine with moveable parts.
- Pellegrino Turri (1808) built the first working typewriter for his blind friend, but there are no remnants of that machine today.
- William Burton (1820) created the “Typographer” that used dials (not keys) to type. Individual characters had to be chosen and put into the right order. It took a long time to type and most thought that handwriting was quicker.
- Rasmus Malling-Hansen (1870) had some commercial production success with his invention of the "writing ball".
- Sholes and Glidden (1868) are credited with patenting and creating the first practical typewriter (called the Type Writer).
- In 1873, Sholes and Glidden's "Type Writer" was the first commercial model to be manufactured (by Remington) and was mounted on a sewing machine stand. "The carriage was returned to the left margin by a foot pedal similar to a sewing machine treadle" (IBM Archives, 1949). This typewriter only produced capital letters and introduced the QWERTY keyboard arrangement. It was also a “blind” typewriter – one had to lift the lid to see the work.
- Remington (1873-1878) created the Remington No. 2 machine which was the successor of Sholes and Glidden's 1973 model. It typed upper and lower-cased letters, had the QWERTY keyboard configuration, and used a shift key. It was very popular and was considered a commercial success.
- By the early 1900s, typewriters could be found in a majority of homes and businesses.
- By the 1920s, most typewriters looked and functioned the same. These typebar machines were front stroke, had QWERTY keyboard configurations with four banks of keys and one shift key that printed through a ribbon.
- By the 1920s - 1930s, the majority of the US typewriter industry consisted of four companies which were Remington, Smith & Corona, Royal, and Underwood.
- By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, word processors were being developed and eventually put into computers.
- Word processors and computers ultimately took over the place of the typewriter.
It has been suggested that the typewriter is "one of the great inventions of the 19th Century communications technology, alongside the telegraph, the telephone, photography, and the gramophone" (The Virtual Typewriter Museum, n.d.).
Watch the first 4:20 minutes of this 1944 US Navy Training Film "Basic Typing I: Methods" video. It shows several different models of typewriters. If you wish to continue watching, the rest of the video is dedicated to showing how to type properly.