Wiktor Wise
The evolution of the typewriter is a long and fascinating one, with the concept dating back to 1714 when Englishman Henry Mill filed a patent for a machine to transcribe letters. The first documented version of a typewriter was in 1575 when an Italian printmaker named Francesco Rampazetto created the 'scrittura tattile'. The first typewriter proven to have worked was built by Pellegrino Turri in 1808 for his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano. The first commercial typewriters were introduced in 1874 and became indispensable tools in offices, homes, and for students. The first electric typewriter was invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1872, but it was James Smathers who pioneered the electric typewriter as an office writing machine in 1920. The first commercially successful electric typewriter was the IBM Selectric, introduced in 1961, which dominated the market for the next two decades. This article will explore the history of the electric typewriter and the companies that played a pivotal role in its development.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First electric typewriter | Invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1872 |
| First electric typewriter available for commercial use | The Cahill, 1900 |
| First company to produce an electric typewriter | Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company, 1902 |
| First practical power-operated typewriter | Invented by James Fields Smathers, 1914 |
| First electric typewriter with a spherical type-carrier design | International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), 1961 |
| Most successful electric typewriter | IBM Selectric |
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What You'll Learn
- The first electric typewriter was made by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company in 1902
- The first electric typewriter was not available for commercial use
- The first commercially successful electric typewriter was made by IBM in 1961
- The Remington Typewriter, made by E. Remington & Sons, was the first typewriter with a shift key
- The first electric typewriters were patented in the 19th century
The first electric typewriter was made by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company in 1902
The Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company was not the only business to experiment with electric typewriters in the early 20th century. In 1900, the Cahill electric typewriter was produced in series, and in 1909, the first successful portable typewriters appeared on the market. However, it would take a few decades for electric typewriters to become popular.
The concept of a typewriter dates back to at least 1714, when Englishman Henry Mill filed a patent for "an artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another". However, the first typewriter proven to have worked was built by Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri in 1808 to help his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, write letters independently.
In the 1820s, William Austin Burt invented and patented a device known as the "typographer", but this precursor to the modern typewriter was not widely adopted commercially. The first practical and commercially successful typewriter was created in the 1860s by Christopher Latham Sholes, who collaborated with Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule. This typewriter made a splash in the American market and was soon followed by the Remington Typewriter in 1873.
The first electrically operated typewriter, consisting of a printing wheel, was invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1872, but it was not available for commercial use. James Fields Smathers of Kansas City invented the first practical power-operated typewriter in 1914 and produced a successful model in 1920. From 1925, Remington Electric typewriters were produced, powered by Northeast Electric Company's motors.
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The first electric typewriter was not available for commercial use
The history of the typewriter dates back to at least 1714, when Englishman Henry Mill filed a patent for "an artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another." However, the first typewriter proven to have worked was built by Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri in 1808 to aid his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, in writing letters.
Numerous inventors in Europe and the US worked on typewriters in the 19th century, but successful commercial production began with the writing ball of Danish pastor Rasmus Malling-Hansen in 1870. The first commercial typewriters were introduced in 1874, becoming common in offices in the US after the mid-1880s. The typewriter quickly became indispensable, used by writers, in offices, businesses, and students.
While the history of the electric typewriter is tied to that of the manual typewriter, the first electric typewriters were not available for commercial use. Thomas Edison created one of the first electric typewriters in 1872, but it was not available for commercial use. In 1900, George C. Blickensderfer patented an electric typewriter, but it was not a commercial success, perhaps due to a lack of electrification at the time.
It wasn't until 1914 that James Fields Smathers of Kansas City invented what is considered the first practical power-operated typewriter. After returning from Army service in 1920, he produced a successful model, which was further developed by the Northeast Electric Company of Rochester. Remington Electric typewriters were produced using Northeast's motors, but the company soon entered the typewriter business for itself, producing the first Electromatic Typewriter in 1929.
The most successful electric typewriter in history was the IBM Selectric, which debuted in 1961. It improved productivity and the appearance of work, offering multiple fonts and alphabets. By 1978, IBM held 94% of the market for electric typewriters, and the Selectric remained the most common typewriter in offices until the 1980s.
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The first commercially successful electric typewriter was made by IBM in 1961
The history of the typewriter dates back to the early 19th century, with the first typewriter proven to have worked invented by Pellegrino Turri in 1808. However, the quest for a commercially successful electric typewriter spanned several decades, with several companies attempting to bring their designs to market.
The first electric typewriter was created by Thomas Edison in 1872, but it was not available for commercial use. In 1900, George C. Blickensderfer patented an electric typewriter, but it was not a commercial success. The next step in the development of the electric typewriter came in 1910 when Charles and Howard Krum filed a patent for the first practical teletypewriter, the Morkrum Printing Telegraph.
In 1920, James Fields Smathers of Kansas City invented what is considered the first practical power-operated typewriter. However, it wasn't until 1961 that the first commercially successful electric typewriter was introduced by the International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM. The IBM Selectric, which debuted on July 31, 1961, revolutionised the world of typewriters with its distinctive type element, improved productivity, and the ability to offer multiple fonts and alphabets.
The IBM Selectric was an unprecedented success, with the company selling 80,000 units in the first year—four times their projections. The Selectric continued to spur innovation, with interchangeable type elements available in multiple languages and specialised type elements for formulas and statistics. In 1964, the addition of a magnetic tape system for storing characters transformed the Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriter (MT/ST) model into the first analogue word processor device.
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The Remington Typewriter, made by E. Remington & Sons, was the first typewriter with a shift key
The history of the typewriter dates back to at least 1714 when Englishman Henry Mill filed a patent for a machine to transcribe letters. However, the first typewriter proven to have worked was built by Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri in 1808 to aid his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, in writing letters.
Numerous inventors in Europe and the US worked on typewriters in the 19th century, but successful commercial production began with the "writing ball" of Danish pastor Rasmus Malling-Hansen in 1870. The first commercial typewriters were introduced in 1874 and became common in offices in the US after the mid-1880s.
The Remington Typewriter was followed by several other models, including the Remington Electric typewriter, which was produced in 1925 with motors from the Northeast Electric Company. Remington Rand was created after a merger, and the company went on to produce the first Electromatic Typewriter in 1929.
The first electrically operated typewriter was invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1872, although it was not available for commercial use. The first electric typewriters produced in series were the Cahill of 1900 and the Blickensderfer in 1902. The IBM Selectric, which debuted in 1961, was the most successful electric typewriter in history, with over 13 million units sold.
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The first electric typewriters were patented in the 19th century
The history of the electric typewriter is a long and fascinating one, with several inventors and companies contributing to its development over the years. While the exact origin of the electric typewriter is unclear, we do know that some electric typewriters were patented as early as the 19th century.
One of the earliest known attempts at creating a typewriter can be traced back to 1714 when Englishman Henry Mill filed a patent for "an artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another". However, it wasn't until the 19th century that the first working typewriters made an appearance. Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri is credited with creating the first typewriter in 1808 to aid his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, in writing letters independently. This machine, however, was not widely adopted.
In the 1820s, William Austin Burt invented and patented the "typographer", another precursor to the modern typewriter, but it failed to gain commercial success. It wasn't until the 1860s that Christopher Latham Sholes created the first practical and commercially successful typewriter, which gained popularity in the American market. This machine, known as the Sholes & Glidden, introduced the QWERTY keyboard layout, which is still in use today.
The late 19th century saw a boom in the demand for typewriters, with organisations recognising their value in streamlining and modernising office work. The final decade of the century also witnessed the emergence of the first electric typewriters. In 1872, Thomas A. Edison invented the first electrically operated typewriter, which later evolved into the ticker-tape printer. However, Edison's typewriter was not commercially available.
In the following years, several inventors and companies made significant contributions to the development of electric typewriters. The Cahill of 1900 is recognised as the first machine produced in series, followed by the electric typewriter produced by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company in 1902. Despite these advancements, it took a few decades for electric typewriters to gain widespread popularity.
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Frequently asked questions
The first electric typewriter was invented by Thomas Edison in 1872, but it was not available for commercial use. The first commercially successful electric typewriter was produced by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1961.
The IBM Selectric was the most successful electric typewriter in history due to its productivity and appearance. It offered multiple fonts and alphabets, and its distinctive type element, a spinning, bobbing mechanism, improved the productivity of typists.
The Remington Typewriter, Sholes & Glidden, and the Blickensderfer typewriter were some of the other successful typewriters.
Typewriters became common in offices in the United States after the mid-1880s.
Historians generally accept that Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri created the first typewriter in 1808 to help his blind friend, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, write letters independently.
