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This month, we celebrate an invention that, thanks to the many enhancements made to it, is nearly obsolete in today’s technologically-advanced world!\u00a0 Yes, September 1873 marks the first time a practical typewriter was commercially sold.<\/p>\nThis month, we celebrate an invention that, thanks to the many enhancements made to it, is nearly obsolete in today’s technologically-advanced world!\u00a0 Yes, September 1873 marks the first time a practical typewriter was commercially sold.<\/p>\n
The \u201cSholes & Glidden Type Writer\u201d was not widely successful, but it did pave the way for a worldwide industry that continues to evolve and revolutionize what was very time-consuming and tedious office work.<\/p>\n
The American-made invention originated in the multi-talented mind of Milwaukee, Wis. publisher, politician and philosopher Christopher Latham Sholes, during the Age of Invention.\u00a0 At the time, Sholes was working in Kleinsteuber\u2019s Machine Shop, trying to produce a machine that would automatically number book pages.<\/p>\n
It is believed that one of Sholes\u2019 colleagues suggested he further advance the idea by devising a way the equipment would print the entire alphabet.\u00a0 With that prodding, the typewriter was just a few strokes away.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, when it finally was released, the “Type Writer” was named in part for Carlos Glidden, a man who worked with Sholes at the machine shop!<\/p>\n
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Sholes created the simple device, which utilized a piece of printer\u2019s type on a small rod that was mounted to strike upward onto a flat plate.\u00a0 The plate held a piece of carbon paper, sandwiched together with a piece of stationery.\u00a0 Using an old telegraph key mounted to the base of his device, Sholes tapped down on his new invention and watched as the little type jumped up and hit the carbon paper against the flat plate.<\/p>\n
And that was pretty much it!\u00a0 The space bar and enter keys came later, but Sholes did construct the machine to include the entire alphabet.\u00a0 Sholes\u2019 prototype was sent to Washington as the patent model and still exists \u2013 although it\u2019s locked in a vault at the Smithsonian!<\/p>\n
Along with investor James Densmore, Sholes brought his typing machine to gun maker E. Remington & Son; but, because he lacked patience when it came to marketing the invention, Sholes sold all his rights to Densmore, who kept the idea afloat.<\/p>\n
Originally, the \u201cSholes & Glidden Type Writer\u201d was brought to market with brightly decorated decals and gold paint.\u00a0 It had a QWERTY keyboard, but could type only in capital letters.\u00a0 Similar to an antique sewing machine, the \u201cType Writer\u201d also included a foot treadle for carriage return, possibly because a Remington sewing machine engineer had recently been transferred to set up the \u201cType Writer\u201d factory!\u00a0 The company also offered a table model, which did not include the foot pedal.<\/p>\n
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Five years later, a second model was introduced and it included upper case, lower case and a shift key.\u00a0 The colorful panels disappeared and a new black-framed look emerged.\u00a0 This, the \u201cRemington No. 2,\u201d became a big seller and catapulted the typewriter industry\u2026 that is, at least until computers, cell phones and iPads were invented!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whatever it is that we’re typing on today, Mr. Sholes, we thank you for your innovation!<\/p>\n
Information for the article provided by Earthlink.net and About.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This month, we celebrate an invention that, thanks to the many enhancements made to it, is nearly obsolete in today’s technologically-advanced world!\u00a0 Yes, September 1873 marks the first time a practical typewriter was commercially sold. The \u201cSholes & Glidden Type Writer\u201d was not widely successful, but it did pave the way for a worldwide industry …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[8,73,88,149],"class_list":["post-5316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-invention","tag-invention","tag-invention-idea","tag-inventors","tag-old-inventions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n