It was a success in Europe and was reported as being used in offices in London as late as 1909. Rasmus Malling-Hansen of Denmark invented the Hansen Writing Ball, which went into commercial production in 1870 and was the first commercially sold typewriter. Between 18 Peter Mitterhofer, a carpenter from South Tyrol (then Austria) developed several models of a typewriter and a fully functioning prototype in 1867.Ĭommercial 1878 model of the Hansen Writing Ball. Azevedo as the real inventor of the typewriter, a claim that has been the subject of some controversy. Many Brazilian people as well as the Brazilian federal government recognize Fr. Pedro I, the Brazilian emperor, in that same year, presented a gold medal to Father Azevedo for this invention. In 1861, Father Francisco João de Azevedo, a Brazilian priest, made his own typewriter with basic materials and tools, such as wood and knives. In 1855, the Italian Giuseppe Ravizza created a prototype typewriter called "Cembalo scrivano o macchina da scrivere a tasti." It was an advanced machine that let the user see the writing as it was typed. See Charles Thurber's 1845 Chirographer, as an example. From 1829 to 1870, many printing or typing machines were patented by inventors in Europe and America, but none went into commercial production.Ĭharles Thurber developed multiple patents his first, in 1843, was developed as an aid to the blind. Stenographers and telegraphers could take down information at rates up to 130 words per minute, but a writer with a pen was limited to about 30 words per minute (the 1853 speed record). Because it used a dial to select each character rather than keys, it was called an "index typewriter" rather than a "keyboard typewriter," if it is to be considered a typewriter at all.īy the mid-1800s, the increasing pace of business communication was creating a need for mechanization of the writing process. Sheldon never found a buyer for the patent, and it was never commercially produced. Even in the hands of its inventor, it was slower than handwriting. In 1829, William Austin Burt patented a machine called the " Typographer." Like many other early machines, it is sometimes listed as the "first typewriter" the Science Museum (London) describes it merely as "the first writing mechanism whose invention was documented," but even that claim may be excessive, since Turri's machine is well known. Many of these early machines, including Turri's, were developed to enable the blind to write. Other early developers of typewriting machines include Pellegrino Turri, who also invented carbon paper. In 1714, Henry Mill obtained a patent in Britain for a machine that, from the patent, appears to have been similar to a typewriter, but nothing further is known. In fact, historians have estimated that some form of typewriter was invented 52 times as tinkerers tried to come up with a workable design. As with the light bulb, automobile, telephone, and telegraph, a number of people contributed insights and inventions that eventually resulted in commercially successful instruments. No single person or nation can be credited with the invention of the typewriter. This early example had separate keys for upper- and lower-case letters. This Smith Premier typewriter, purchased around the end of the 19th century, was found abandoned in the Bodie ghost town.
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