Typing Through Time: Keyboard History

July 22nd, 2011

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Keyboards and typing technology have come a long way over the past couple centuries. The
first typing devices were designed and patented in the 1700s while the first manufactured
typing devices came about in the 1870s. These machines featured blind typing technology,
where characters were printed on upside-down pages that remained unseen until completion.
Since then, we have seen several updates in design, layout, technology, and function that are
more efficient and user-friendly. The type-writer has changed shape dramatically over the
years, eventually becoming electronic- then practically obsolete as we moved into the age of
computers and the birth of the keyboard. The keyboard is the number one computer interface
used around the world, and an integral object for many of us that most people take for
granted. This paper will explore the history of typing, detailing the innovations across time
that have accumulated into the definition of todays standard for the ultimate typing
experience.

Jump to:

Chapter One: Design The Evolution of the Typewriter

Chapter Two: Design The Development of the Computer Keyboard
Chapter Three: Design Computer Keyboard Layouts

Chapter One: Design The Evolution of the Typewriter

To begin exploration of the first keyboards, we must first examine the origins of typing and
the first typing devices. What did the first typing machines look like? The first manufactured
typewriters resembled sewing machines more than what most people imagine when they
think typewriter. Remington, who manufactured the first typewriters, were also
manufacturing sewing machines at the time, leading to this initial design atheistic. The
first Remington typewriters, created by Sholes, Glidden, and Soule even came with a foot
pedal (like a sewing machine) to control carriage returns. So how did we get to where we are
now, in the high-tech age of computers and plastics? To move forward, its important to first
move backwards in time and see how these first commercially successful type-writers came
to be.

Remingtons First Sholes & Glidden Type-Writer 1867

Image source: from the Early Office Museum

Technically the first documented typing devices predate the Remingtons Sholes & Glidden
typewriter, though none of them were manufactured for commercial use. In 1714, the first
patent for a typing machine was issued in London, England to Henry Mill. Though there is no
evidence that the machine was in fact constructed, or sold, all we know is that this typing
device was intended to prepare legal documents in a manner that was neat, legible, and in a
standardized format. Fast forward to 1808, another typing machine was patented to Pellegrino
Turri in Italy. His machine was intended to allow the blind to write. With Pellegrino Turris
typing device, also came the first Carbon Copy. Pellegrinos invention of the carbon copy has
made a lasting impact on the modern office (carbon copies are still regularly used on
triplicate forms, phone message and memo pads, sales receipts etc.). In 1829 William Austin
Burt also created a writing mechanism, a Typowriter that instead of keys, used dials to
print characters, making this process slower than handwriting to produce words on a page,
but it was a way to print legible, uniform text. The typowriter was also created with the
intended use for the blind. A later model of the typowriter, created by John Jones in 1852 is
pictured below. None of these devices gained much public interest, or commercial success.

1852 John Jones Mechanical Typographer

Image source: Life photo archive

From 1829 up until 1870 there were many other typing devices that were patented along
with the ones mentioned above, and like the previous devices none of them went into
commercial production, or mainstream use. The only ones worth mentioning, for the sake of
being extraordinary were Father Francisco Jao de Azevados homemade typewriter made
from wood and knives in Brasil (1861), and Denmarks Hansen Writing Ball (1865), both
pictured below. Father Azevados typewriter is arguably the first typewriter as the
mechanism is the most similar to the commercial models that followed its inception. It was
completely constructed of household materials which makes it particularly interesting and
impressive. Brazilians argue that his invention should be credited as the First Typewriter.
Moving across the globe to Denmark just a few years later, The Hansen Writing Ball was
invented by Reverend Rasmus Malling-Hansen, in 1865. The half-sphere shape of the ball is
unlike any other typing device before or after it, and regardless of visual appeal, The Hansen
Writing Ball actually gained quite a bit of attention in Europe and England as a fully
functional typing device. It is documented that Hansen Writing Balls could be found in
operation up until 1909 in many offices and businesses in England and Europe. Because of
the relative success of this product, Malling-Hansen released a few different versions of this
invention. His first Writing Ball began as an electric device, but later he released the Tall
Model in 1875- where no electricity was needed. The fact that it no longer required
electricity resulted in a broader range of consumers in various rural and urban locales.
Reproduction of 1861 Father Francisco Jao de Azevado Typewriter

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

1870 Hansen Writing Ball. Created by Reverend Rasmus Malling-Hansen in Denmark.

2011 by AUCTION TEAM BREKER, Cologne, Germany (www.Breker.com)

Click this link to view additional images of the Hansen Writing Ball

Soon after the the Hansen Writing Balls creation, Sholes (an Inventor), Glidden (a
Mechanic), and with the help of Soule (a Printer) came along with their 1867 type-writer that
changed the world of typing as we know it. It is this Type-Writer that gave us the word
typewriter, and is the model that is referred to as The First Typewriter. Interestingly
enough, though this was the most successful typing device of that time, Sholes and Glidden
were too frustrated by slow sales so they sold their patent to Densmore and Yost for $12,000.
Machinist and clock-maker Matthais Schwalbach made the Sholes and Glidden typewriter in
Milwaukee, and had Remington manufacture and sell it. Soon after this sewing-machine-like
model was created and sold, the foot pedal was removed with carriage returns being
controlled on the typewriter itself. Following this change, a slightly smaller, desk-top version
of the typewriter came to be (though still extremely heavy and full of metal), losing the
sewing machine look and defining its own look as a typewriter. By 1910 all typewriters were
more or less standardized, sharing very similar resemblances across the board, until the IBM
Selectric was introduced in 1961.

1961 Selectric I Typewriter by IBM

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Selectric typewriter, no longer used type-bars that struck the page. The Selectrics used
typeballs (resembling golf balls) that rolled, tilted, and printed the letters on the page without
the typebars. This was huge, because typewriter jams (when two typebars interlocked if you
typed too fast) were no longer an issue. This increased typing speed, and efficiency. The
other new element brought to the typewriter scene with the Selectrics was that the typeballs
could easily be taken out, and replaced with others to change fonts quickly on the same
document. This was also a major advancement in the industry. Though the Selectrics were
still quite heavy, large, hunks of metal that were difficult to move around, the typeballs were
small, easy to move, accessories that gave typists more freedom and accessibility. The
Selectric Typewriter was produced up until the 1980s with three models that evolved over the
course of those decades: The Selectric I, The Selectric II, and The Selectric III. They were
available in a variety of colors including: vintage blue, mossy green, burnt red, beige, and
black.

Selectric Type Balls

Image Source: Early Office Museum

 The typewriter has come a long way over the years, all leading into the age of computers
and the most widely used input device: the computer keyboard. Though the first computers
and computer keyboards were created before the Selectric, these power-house typewriters
were so great at putting text on the page that they continued to be used alongside keyboards,
as computers gained in popularity. Hunter S. Thompson was known to write on one, and
some writers such as David Sedaris to this day still use and prefer their Selectric Typewriter.
Typewriters have largely been replaced and taken over by the keyboard as the preferred, and
most used typing device. A few years ago, rumors generated by the Daily Mail even went as
far to publish that the, Last Typewriter Factory Left in the World Close[d] its Doors which
as it turns out was an exaggeration, and false (as confirmed by NPR). Though the age of
typewriters has faded and they have become more of a novelty than a necessity, several
government offices continue to use typewriters to produce legal documents, which has kept
and will keep typewriters in production, at least for the time being.

Chapter Two: Design The Development of the Computer

Keyboard
While typewriters were widely used throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, computers were
starting to emerge as a consumer friendly product, beginning the age of the computer
keyboard as a primary input device. To understand the development of the computer
keyboard, its important to understand the development and evolution of the computer. In
1946, the first computer, ENIAC was constructed and teletype was used to input data. As you
can see below, the ENIAC computer took up an entire room, hundreds of times larger than
the modern computer laptop. What was teletype and how is it different from from modern

computer keyboard input?

Teletype and ENIAC computers used cards (similar in shape to index cards) that were
inserted into the Teletype while a series of holes called keypunches would be punched into
the cards according to which keys were pressed on the teletype machine. After the cards were
keypunched by the computer, they were brought over to a card-reader that would analyze the
deck of cards as data (tangible memory).
Early Computer Punch card. Courtesy of the Computer History Museum.

1960 Keypunch Reader Courtesy of the Computer History Museum

In 1948 the BINAC computer used a different input/output method, with an

electromagnetically controlled teletype to input data and print results. The BINAC is what
paved the way for the shape of computers and computer keyboards to come, though it would
still take a few more decades to move away from the teletype/punchcard computers. Another
punchcard computer popular at the time, was the UNIVAC I, produced in 1951 is also
pictured below.
1940s ENIAC Keypunch Printer and Card Sorter in operation. Image Courtesy of the
Computer History Museum

1960s UNIVAC Computer in Operation. Notice the Teletype Input Device to his left.
Courtesy of the Computer History Museum

In 1964, Bell Labs and M.I.T. created the MULTICS computer, a time-sharing, multi-user
system with VDT, a video display terminal. Text was instantly visible on the screen as it was
typed, which made communicating commands, programs, and controls to computers more
efficient than previous teletype methods of input. By the late 1970s all computers used VDT
and electric keyboards. It was simply the most straight-forward and user-friendly method of
interacting with computers (no stack of cards to punch holes in and keep organized).
The first keyboards that were sold in the 1970s were all built from scratch, piece by piece,
and were heavy as they were fully mechanical. Since so much time and effort was needed to
create these keyboards, and since the target market was primarily computer programmers and
engineers, they were built for function and not for visual aesthetics. This meant there wasnt a
keyboard cover or cabinet, making the keyboard more or less exposed.

1970s Altiar Computer with Exposed Keyboard Courtesy of the Computer History Museum

There were also keyboards that were built into personal computers at the time. In the mid-
1970s Imsai and Altair created the first small PCs for consumer use, generally referred to as
the S100 computer systems. These machines were built piece by piece, and provided the bare
essentials. There were no hard drives or floppy discs on these first machines, so there was no
way to save data on them. The keyboard was located on the front panel of the computer, as a
set of key switches. If users wanted a standard keyboard, IBM sold a converted electric
typewriter, but as supplies were limited and the product wasnt in high demand many users
had to convert their own electric typewriters if they wanted an easier to use keyboard to enter
programming code. Additionally, a second keyboard had to be connected for data entry. It
wasnt provided with purchase, requiring that users had to build their own.
1970s IMSAI Computer with front panel key switches

1970s Altair Home Office Desk Set-Up. Courtesy of the Computer History Museum.

In the late 1970s Apple, Radio Shack and Commodore all had the foresight to see the large
market in computer keyboards, and started manufacturing keyboards for their computers,
paving the way for the modern assumption that all computers come with a keyboard, and that
keyboards are the primary, standard input device.

In 1981, IBM released their first PC. In 1986, it came equipped with the Model M keyboard.
This computer keyboard was wildly successful because it was so easy to use, users didnt
have to convert their typewriters or provide their own build of keyboard to use as an input
device for their computers. The Model M was a mechanical keyboard, and used the highest
quality construction, giving typists the satisfaction of tactile feedback, acute accuracy and
comfort. The only draw backs on this keyboard was that the Shift and Enter keys were
reportedly too small for the majority of users preferences. Because of this, IBM made and
sold Keytop Expanders which fit over the shift and enter key-switches to expand the keys.
All of the keyboards at this time were limited in that they were only offered in two colors:
beige and grey, until the late 1980s when black was introduced as an option.

1986 IBM Model M Keyboard

Keytop Expanders Advertisement

In the 1990s membrane switches began to replace the mechanical key switch, as it was
quieter, weighed less, and suited the needs of the new laptop generation. This was also an
advantage for the manufactures because membrane keyboards were much cheaper to produce.
Unfortunately the quality of the keyboard significantly dropped as these superficial keyboard
aesthetics dominated (slimmer, quieter, lighter weight, easier to be mobile with). The
technology and mechanics of these keyboards will be detailed in future chapters, and
mechanical keyboard information can be found here: on our Mechanical Keyboard Guide.
Heres a photo showing the dramatic difference between early Apple mechanical keyboards
(1983), and decades later the modern non-mechanical Apple keyboards (2010).

Apple-Keyboard-1983-vs-2010

Other changes in keyboard design, whether or not improving upon function, have included
the folding keyboard, the water-proof (and washable) keyboard, the keyboard that also
functions as a mouse, thumb-sized keyboards (for mobile devices and travel) and virtual
touch-screen keyboards.
True Touch Roll-up Keyboard

Mouse and Keyboard Combo (The entire keyboard moves on the desk as a mouse)
Mini Wireless Keyboard Device

iPad and iPhone Virtual Touch-Screen Keyboards

Over the years there have been several other designs that verge on science fiction- like the
laser keyboard, the flying saucer keyboard, the jellyfish keyboard, and the fully-programable,
lcd-key display Optimus Maximus Keyboard. Its mind-bending to see the evolution of
keyboards in terms of where they started as teletype machines and typewriters- to where
theyve evolved into all the options we have quite literally at our fingertips.
Laser Keyboard

Altuq Topraks Flying Saucer keyboard

Jellyfish Keyboard. Industrial Designer: Erik Campbell. Inventor: Doug Engelbart.

Jellyfish Keyboard. Industrial Designer: Erik Campbell. Inventor: Doug Engelbart.

Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Keyboards come in all shapes, sizes, and colors these days, though its important to
remember that without the original, simple, powerhouse mechanical keyboards of IBM we
wouldnt be where we are today. With all of the design innovations being manufactured,
there is no surprise that many creative keyboard aficionados have started to emerge with their
own inventive modifications to improve the typing experience and aesthetic. Richard Doc
Nagy has taken his creativity, and craftsmanship to the next level in keyboard design and has
built some very interesting and inventive keyboard mods that seem to have traveled back in
time, with a paradoxically futuristic edge. From steam punk and art deco themed keyboards,
to keyboards with scrabble tiles for keys, Docs modified mechanical keyboards are true
works of art (and fully functional). Visit Docs site, Datamancer.net for his complete gallery.
The Alchemist Keyboard Courtesy of Doc at Datamancer

The Alchemist Keyboard Detail Courtesy of Doc at Datamancer

The Ergo Keyboard Courtesy of Doc at Datamancer

The Streamline Keyboard Courtesy of Doc at Datamancer

The Scrabble Keyboard Courtesy of Doc at Datamancer

Chapter Three: Design The History and Evolution of

Keyboard Layouts
QWERTY Layout:
The most widely used keyboard layout is QWERTY, named as such for the positioning of the
keys in the top left row. Christopher Latham Sholes and Carlos Glidden produced the first
typewriter featuring the QWERTY layout in 1874 and though there have been minor changes
over the past centuries, for the most part it has remained consistent. One of the differences of
the original QWERTY layout from the current version was its lack of a 1 key, and
consequently ! key. Instead of typing the numeral one, typists would use the lower-case L
(l). To type an exclamation mark, typists would use a period (.), hit backspace, then type an
apostrophe () above it. Another key added in later versions was the = and + key. These
symbols were used very infrequently on typewriters as it was generally assumed that Adding
Machines were used to do all the mathematical notation. If typists wanted to produce a plus-
sign, they would type a hyphen (-), hit backspace, then type a colon (:). When they wanted to
type an equal sign, they would type a hyphen (-), hit backspace, and then type an underscore
(_). At the start of the QWERTY layout, typewriters were only able to print UPPER CASE
letters, as the shift key had not yet been introduced. At the end of the 19th century in 1894,
The Duplex full keyboard brought lower case letters to the typewriter by featuring separate
keys for lower case and UPPER CASE letters. There were twice as many keys with this
design which eventually lead to the invention of the shift key. The shift key allowed for a
consolidated keyboard similar to the first models that only typed capital letters, as well as the
use of both lower and uppercase characters with the same key. Additionally, having a shift
key allowed the numerical keys to be shared with special characters such as the ampersand
(&) and percent (%) signs for further keyboard consolidation. One problem that arose after
the shift key was added was that holding down the shift key to type more than one letter at a
time was particularly difficult on early typewriters. This lead to the SHIFT LOCK key,
later to be renamed CAPS LOCK by modern typists. Shift lock allowed typists to switch
back and forth between lower and upper case characters, as well as numerical andspecial
characters with ease.
1897, Jewett 4 Duplex typewriter Courtesy of the Martin Howard Collection at
antiquetypewriters.com

QWERTY layouts were developed as a means to slow typists down. In the beginning stages
of the typewriter, people typed so quickly, that they often jammed the keys as they flew up to
hit the typewriter ribbon. To prevent this, QWERTY was born to decrease typing efficiency
and speed. This is why, rather than placing the most commonly used letters in convenient,
central, finger placements, they are instead found in awkward locations, like the A key
under the left pinkie finger. Likewise, the less commonly used letters are placed in the prime
areas of the layout. Notice, for example how the J and K keys are under the right pointer
and middle fingers. With these inconvenient placements, more than 50% of keystrokes take
place on the top row, and roughly 30% take place on the bottom row. That means that less
than 20% of all keystrokes actually occur where your fingers are centrally placed, the row
commonly referred to as home row. So if this layout is so inefficient and awkward, why are
we still using it today? The QWERTY layout has stuck with us for the past century for two
reasons: it was the first established layout that everyone grew accustomed to and accepted;
and when computers began to come into play, the leaders in the computer keyboard industry
opted to keep the QWERTY layout on their manufactured keyboards- effectively binding
generations of typists to an inefficient layout. When IBM and the other major manufacturers
chose to stick with QWERTY, everyone else followed their lead. Thus they established the
standard in layout design for decades to come- regardless of how inefficient and outdated.

Dvorak Simplified Layouts:

The QWERTY model keyboard is still used today by some of the worlds fastest typists, but
imagine how much faster and more efficient typing could be if the keys we use most often
were under the strongest of our fingers in the easiest to access areas. Thats where Dvorak
comes in. The Dvorak simplified layout was introduced in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak, and
offers a keyboard layout that is more intuitive and efficient for modern typists. Dr. Dvorak
conducted extensive research on the English language (and other languages using the Roman
alphabet), and studied the physiology of the hand. Dr. Dvoraks research brought forth not
only the Dvorak layout, but also two additional keyboard layouts designed for people with
one hand: one keyboard for those with only one right hand, and the other for those with only
a left.

Dvoarks keyboard for Left-Hand Only

Dvoarks keyboard for Right-Hand Only

These single-handed keyboards allow one-handed typists to easily type 50 WPM. If he was
able to design a keyboard easy for one-handed typists to use, imagine the functionality and
efficiency possible for two-handed typists. On a Dvorak keyboard, all of the most commonly
used characters fall under the home row. He placed the vowels: A, O, E, U, and
I, under the left hand; and the letters: D, H, T, N, and S, under the right
hand. In addition to the awkward placement of common letters, the QWERTY design also
requires the same finger to type common letter combinations, and the same hand to type
common words. All of these elements aided in slowing down typists, to limit typewriter jams.
Dvorak noticed this speed bump, and took it into consideration for his simplified layout,
where the same finger or hand arent required to type all of the characters in frequent letter-
combinations and words while the other fingers or hand sit idly. The simplified Dvorak
layout was slightly modified and adjusted over the years and finally solidified in 1982. The
design requires less finger-motion, which both increases typing speed and reduces finger
strain. It is also supposedly much easier to learn since the characters fall in less awkward
positions, and the most common letters are all lined up next to each other on the home row.
Dvorak layouts never overcame the popularity of QWERTY layouts, even though Dvorak is
compatible with almost all modern computer models (including Mac OS X, Microsoft
Windows, Linux, and BSD-UNIX). This goes to show the power and control that comes
with simply being the first. In the eyes of the vast majority of the typing public, its easier
to use the more difficult, and strain-inducing layout rather than start anew with something
better. No matter how poorly QWERTY translates to modern typists, for many of us, its our
first language and learning a new language takes a lot of time, dedication, and studying.

Other Specialty Layouts and Novelties: Colemak

The third most popular keyboard layout after QWERTY, then Dvorak, is the Colemak
layout. Though this layout hasnt reached as much of a fan base of the first two, it has gained
some notoriety. Because only 17 keys differ from the QWERTY layout, this keyboard layout
is fairly easy to relearn after years of QWERTY use. This has helped the Colemak layout to
gain a following amongst typists who no longer want to adhere to an outdated QWERTY
mode of typing, but are frustrated with the learning curve involved in readjusting to the
Dvorak layout. Colemak is named after its creator, Shai Coleman, though Shai decided to
match the last two letters to the Dvorak layout namesake (hence, Colemak), to perhaps appeal
more to the alternative keyboard layout seeking community and draw some similarities
between the two. This is the youngest of the three layouts discussed, though layout designs
and updates continue to be tested and developed on a regular basis. Due to the popularity of
the three layouts discussed, all other options receive little to no recognition or public
attention. The main focus of newer alternative keyboard layouts tends to be an emphasis on
mixing the familiarity of QWERTY with the efficiency of Dvorak. Who knows what will
evolve in the years to come, only time will tell.

*******************************************

Do you have a suggestion for a topic youd like us to cover? Please comment your
feedback, thanks for reading! Please stay tuned for the next installment.

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Typing Through Time: Keyboard History

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