Today, computers have invaded every facet of life. They are found in the home, the workplace, the car, and have revolutionized communications. At their simplest, computers are tools for handling data, computations and word processing. From the mid-19th to late 20th century, however, people used typewriters to write letters, fill out forms, prepare legal documents and complete other written tasks.

The idea for typewriters dates to at least 1714 when a patent was granted to Englishman Henry Mill for what appears to be a typewriter. The first commercially successful typewriter was the Sholes & Glidden Type Writer created by Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule in 1873. This typewriter also introduced the QWERTY keyboard so prevalent today. A downside to this typewriter was that it typed on the bottom of the platen, the cylinder that holds the paper, so that the typist couldn’t see their work until the paper was advanced.

The first front striking typewriter in production was the Daugherty Visible of 1891. Other early front striking typewriters were the Oliver, the Underwood and the Williams. There were numerous early styles and designs of typewriters with different keyboard arrangements, and type striking mechanisms.

Improvements continued to be made to typewriters throughout the first half of the 20th century. Electric models were invented as were portable typewriters and typewriters with multiple colors of ribbon. In the 1960s, IBM came out with the Selectric ball that rotated around and struck the ribbon rather then individual typebars. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, typewriters began to be overtaken by computers. While the computer revolution has made typewriters nearly obsolete in the home, some government and business uses still keep them alive and clacking.

Polt, Richard. The Classic Typewriter Page. site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/index.html.

Historically Fort Bend

Historical facts and photos courtesy of the Fort Bend County Museum Association, Richmond, TX