Term of the Moment
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Definition: typewriter
A mechanical or electromechanical device that is used to print text on paper. Although various typewriter-like devices were created throughout the 1800s, the first typewriters with a carriage that moved the paper to the next character location began to emerge in the 1870s. The first commercial success was the "Sholes & Glidden Type Writer" made by Remington Arms in Ilion, NY from 1874 to 1878. The now-common keyboard layout was created in that time frame (see QWERTY keyboard).
Electric and Selectric
Greatly reducing the effort to produce a typewritten page, electric typewriters were introduced by Remington and IBM in the 1920s and 1930s. However, they still used the horizontal moving carriage. In 1961, IBM revolutionized the typewriter world with its golf ball-like type wheel (see Selectric typewriter). For an enchanting collection of old typewriters, visit The Virtual Typewriter Museum. See USB typewriter.
High Tech in the 1890s!
The Selectric "Golf" Ball
Going Strong in the 2010s
Electric and Selectric
Greatly reducing the effort to produce a typewritten page, electric typewriters were introduced by Remington and IBM in the 1920s and 1930s. However, they still used the horizontal moving carriage. In 1961, IBM revolutionized the typewriter world with its golf ball-like type wheel (see Selectric typewriter). For an enchanting collection of old typewriters, visit The Virtual Typewriter Museum. See USB typewriter.
Considered the first portable typewriter, George Blickensderfer created this beauty in 1893. (Equipment courtesy of Dorothy Hearn.)
With its revolutionary type ball, IBM Selectric typewriters were office workhorses for decades. See Selectric typewriter.
This photo was taken in 2012 at the Mesa Typewriter Exchange in Mesa, Arizona. Not only are people still having typewriters repaired, but some young adults are actually purchasing them to write on. (Image courtesy of Mesa Typewriter Exchange.)