Today we are going to talk about the first keyboard in history, which dates back over 150 years. Was the first QWERTY keyboard, and we could see it on the first commercial typewriter. There were other previous models, however, it is considered Christopher Sholes as an inventor and promoter of both things in the mid-19th century.
It was the keyboard of 1868
As we said, it was not the first on a general level, since the typewriter dates back to the century preceding the one we are going to talk about now, however, it is considered the most revolutionary, being the first keyboard with layout . QWERTY that existed, and it’s the one we continue to use today.
However, I was curious, and unlike today, There was no number 0 or 1although the others do, from 2 to 9. But do you know or guess the reason?
Basically, because of space, cost, and other issues that arose back then that seem silly to us today. Christopher Sholes realized that these two numbers were not necessary, since there were already two keys replacing them, O and I (capital i).
This first keyboard was made of ivory and ebony, and despite a never before seen layout, QWERTY triumphed and became the most used model in the world, being used today by the majority of people, although there are variations and other types of configurations. , especially in countries with different alphabets such as Asia or Arab countries. The QWERTY format, although created and patented by Sholes, was sold to Remington in 1873 by the 3 partners, since Christopher did not do it alone.
From that year on, keyboards started adding the numbers 0 and 1, although the way Sholes used it is something we can continue to use even today, although it depends more on the font you use, because it was the same back then, however, today there are many styles in which an I cannot simulate a 1, even though we would understand it the same way.
And you, did you know this particularity of 0 and 1? Did you know that the distribution we continue to use today was invented so many years ago? Would you be able to write with this first model? We are so used to today’s keyboards that it would be very curious to return to one of them.
It is interesting to know how, at that time, with so few resources, they managed to do and think such things. Sadly, Sholes died on February 17, 1890 after battling pulmonary tuberculosis for nine years. Medicine was also not as advanced as it is today.
