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Typing Through Time: Keyboard History
*This article is a work in progress. Chapters
will be published as a series of installments
over the course of the weeks to come.
Chapter One: Design – The Evolution of the
Typewriter
To begin exploration of the first
keyboards, we must first examine
the origins of typing and the first
typing devices. What did the first
typing machines look like? The
first manufactured typewriters
resembled sewing machines more
than what most people imagine
when they think “typewriter.”
1852 John Jones’ Mechanical
Typographer
 From 1829 up until 1870 there were many
other typing devices that were patented
along with the ones mentioned above, and
like the previous devices none of them went
into commercial production, or mainstream
use. The only ones worth mentioning, for the
sake of being extraordinary were Father
Francisco Jaâo de Azevado’s “homemade”
typewriter made from wood and knives in
Brasil (1861), and Denmark’s Hansen Writing
Ball (1865), both pictured below.
 1852 John Jones’ Mechanical Typographer
Reproduction of 1861 Father Francisco Jaâo de Azevado Typewriter
From 1829 up until 1870 there were many other typing
devices that were patented along with the ones mentioned
above, and like the previous devices none of them went
into commercial production, or mainstream use. The only
ones worth mentioning, for the sake of being
extraordinary were Father Francisco Jaâo de Azevado’s
“homemade” typewriter made from wood and knives in
Brasil (1861), and Denmark’s Hansen Writing Ball (1865),
both pictured below. Father Azevado’s typewriter is
arguably the first “typewriter” as the mechanism is the
most similar to the commercial models that followed its
inception.
1870 Hansen Writing Ball. Created by
Reverend Rasmus Malling-Hansen in Denmark
 Soon after the the Hansen Writing Ball’s creation,
Sholes (an Inventor), Glidden (a Mechanic), and with
the help of Soule (a Printer) came along with their
1867 type-writer that changed the world of typing as
we know it. It is this “Type-Writer” that gave us the
word typewriter, and is the model that is referred to
as “The First Typewriter.” Interestingly enough,
though this was the most successful typing device of
that time, Sholes and Glidden were too frustrated by
slow sales so they sold their patent to Densmore and
Yost for $12,000
1961 Selectric I Typewriter by IBM
 The Selectric typewriter, no longer used type-bars that
struck the page. The Selectrics used typeballs (resembling
golf balls) that rolled, tilted, and printed the letters on the
page without the typebars. This was huge, because
typewriter jams (when two typebars interlocked if you
typed too fast) were no longer an issue. This increased
typing speed, and efficiency The other new element
brought to the typewriter scene with the Selectrics was
that the typeballs could easily be taken out, and replaced
with others to change fonts quickly on the same document.
This was also a major advancement in the industry. Though
the Selectrics were still quite heavy, large, hunks of metal
that were difficult to move around, the typeballs were
small, easy to move, accessories that gave typists more
freedom and accessibility.
Chapter Two: Design – The Development of
the Computer Keyboard
1940s ENIAC Keypunch Printer and Card
Sorter in operation.
In 1948 the BINAC computer used a different
input/output method, with an
electromagnetically controlled teletype to
input data and print results. The BINAC is
what paved the way for the shape of
computers and computer keyboards to come,
though it would still take a few more decades
to move away from the teletype/punchcard
computers. Another punchcard computer
popular at the time, was the UNIVAC I,
produced in 1951 is also pictured below
1960s UNIVAC Computer in Operation.
 In 1964, Bell Labs and M.I.T. created the MULTICS
computer, a time-sharing, multi-user system with
VDT, a video display terminal. Text was instantly
visible on the screen as it was typed, which made
communicating commands, programs, and controls
to computers more efficient than previous teletype
methods of input. By the late 1970s all computers
used VDT and electric keyboards. It was simply the
most straight-forward and user-friendly method of
interacting with computers (no stack of cards to
punch holes in and keep organized).
1970s Altiar Computer with Exposed
Keyboard
The first keyboards that were sold in the
1970s were all built from scratch, piece by
piece, and were heavy as they were fully
mechanical. Since so much time and effort
was needed to create these keyboards,
and since the target market was primarily
computer programmers and engineers,
they were built for function and not for
visual aesthetics. This meant there wasn’t
a keyboard cover or cabinet, making the
keyboard more or less exposed.
1970s IMSAI Computer with front panel key
switches
1970s Altair Home Office Desk Set-Up.
In the late 1970s Apple, Radio Shack and
Commodore all had the foresight to see the
large market in computer keyboards, and
started manufacturing keyboards for their
computers, paving the way for the modern
assumption that all computers come with a
keyboard, and that keyboards are the primary,
standard input device
1986 IBM Model M Keyboard
 In 1981, IBM released their first PC. In 1986, it came equipped with the
Model M keyboard. This computer keyboard was wildly successful because it
was so easy to use, users didn’t have to convert their typewriters or provide
their own build of keyboard to use as an input device for their computers.
The Model M was a mechanical keyboard, and used the highest quality
construction, giving typists the satisfaction of tactile feedback, acute
accuracy and comfort. The only draw backs on this keyboard was that the
“Shift” and “Enter” keys were reportedly too small for the majority of user’s
preferences. Because of this, IBM made and sold “Keytop Expanders” which
fit over the shift and enter key-switches to expand the keys. All of the
keyboards at this time were limited in that they were only offered in two
colors: beige and grey, until the late 1980s when black was introduced as an
option.
1986 IBM Model M Keyboard
Apple-Keyboard-1983-vs-2010
 In the 1990s membrane switches began to replace the
mechanical key switch, as it was quieter, weighed less,
and suited the needs of the new laptop generation.
This was also an advantage for the manufactures
because membrane keyboards were much cheaper to
produce. Unfortunately the quality of the keyboard
significantly dropped as these superficial keyboard
aesthetics dominated (slimmer, quieter, lighter weight,
easier to be mobile with). The technology and
mechanics of these keyboards will be detailed in future
chapters, and mechanical keyboard information can be
found here: on our Mechanical Keyboard Guide. Here’s
a photo showing the dramatic difference between early
Apple mechanical keyboards (1983), and decades later
the modern non-mechanical Apple keyboards (2010).
True Touch Roll-up Keyboard
Laser Keyboard andiPad and iPhone
Virtual Touch-Screen Keyboards
Altuq Toprak’s Flying Saucer keyboard
andJellyfish Keyboard. Industrial Designer:
Erik Campbell. Inventor: Doug Engelbart.
Optimus Maximus Keyboard
 Keyboards come in all shapes, sizes, and colors these days, though it’s
important to remember that without the original, simple, powerhouse
mechanical keyboards of IBM we wouldn’t be where we are today. With all of
the design innovations being manufactured, there is no surprise that many
creative keyboard aficionados have started to emerge with their own
inventive modifications to improve the typing experience and aesthetic.
Richard “Doc” Nagy has taken his creativity, and craftsmanship to the next
level in keyboard design and has built some very interesting and inventive
keyboard mods that seem to have traveled back in time, with a paradoxically
futuristic edge. From steam punk and art deco themed keyboards, to
keyboards with scrabble tiles for keys, Doc’s modified mechanical keyboards
are true works of art (and fully functional

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Keyboard history

  • 1. Typing Through Time: Keyboard History *This article is a work in progress. Chapters will be published as a series of installments over the course of the weeks to come.
  • 2. Chapter One: Design – The Evolution of the Typewriter To begin exploration of the first keyboards, we must first examine the origins of typing and the first typing devices. What did the first typing machines look like? The first manufactured typewriters resembled sewing machines more than what most people imagine when they think “typewriter.”
  • 3. 1852 John Jones’ Mechanical Typographer  From 1829 up until 1870 there were many other typing devices that were patented along with the ones mentioned above, and like the previous devices none of them went into commercial production, or mainstream use. The only ones worth mentioning, for the sake of being extraordinary were Father Francisco Jaâo de Azevado’s “homemade” typewriter made from wood and knives in Brasil (1861), and Denmark’s Hansen Writing Ball (1865), both pictured below.  1852 John Jones’ Mechanical Typographer
  • 4. Reproduction of 1861 Father Francisco Jaâo de Azevado Typewriter From 1829 up until 1870 there were many other typing devices that were patented along with the ones mentioned above, and like the previous devices none of them went into commercial production, or mainstream use. The only ones worth mentioning, for the sake of being extraordinary were Father Francisco Jaâo de Azevado’s “homemade” typewriter made from wood and knives in Brasil (1861), and Denmark’s Hansen Writing Ball (1865), both pictured below. Father Azevado’s typewriter is arguably the first “typewriter” as the mechanism is the most similar to the commercial models that followed its inception.
  • 5. 1870 Hansen Writing Ball. Created by Reverend Rasmus Malling-Hansen in Denmark  Soon after the the Hansen Writing Ball’s creation, Sholes (an Inventor), Glidden (a Mechanic), and with the help of Soule (a Printer) came along with their 1867 type-writer that changed the world of typing as we know it. It is this “Type-Writer” that gave us the word typewriter, and is the model that is referred to as “The First Typewriter.” Interestingly enough, though this was the most successful typing device of that time, Sholes and Glidden were too frustrated by slow sales so they sold their patent to Densmore and Yost for $12,000
  • 6. 1961 Selectric I Typewriter by IBM  The Selectric typewriter, no longer used type-bars that struck the page. The Selectrics used typeballs (resembling golf balls) that rolled, tilted, and printed the letters on the page without the typebars. This was huge, because typewriter jams (when two typebars interlocked if you typed too fast) were no longer an issue. This increased typing speed, and efficiency The other new element brought to the typewriter scene with the Selectrics was that the typeballs could easily be taken out, and replaced with others to change fonts quickly on the same document. This was also a major advancement in the industry. Though the Selectrics were still quite heavy, large, hunks of metal that were difficult to move around, the typeballs were small, easy to move, accessories that gave typists more freedom and accessibility.
  • 7. Chapter Two: Design – The Development of the Computer Keyboard
  • 8. 1940s ENIAC Keypunch Printer and Card Sorter in operation. In 1948 the BINAC computer used a different input/output method, with an electromagnetically controlled teletype to input data and print results. The BINAC is what paved the way for the shape of computers and computer keyboards to come, though it would still take a few more decades to move away from the teletype/punchcard computers. Another punchcard computer popular at the time, was the UNIVAC I, produced in 1951 is also pictured below
  • 9. 1960s UNIVAC Computer in Operation.  In 1964, Bell Labs and M.I.T. created the MULTICS computer, a time-sharing, multi-user system with VDT, a video display terminal. Text was instantly visible on the screen as it was typed, which made communicating commands, programs, and controls to computers more efficient than previous teletype methods of input. By the late 1970s all computers used VDT and electric keyboards. It was simply the most straight-forward and user-friendly method of interacting with computers (no stack of cards to punch holes in and keep organized).
  • 10. 1970s Altiar Computer with Exposed Keyboard The first keyboards that were sold in the 1970s were all built from scratch, piece by piece, and were heavy as they were fully mechanical. Since so much time and effort was needed to create these keyboards, and since the target market was primarily computer programmers and engineers, they were built for function and not for visual aesthetics. This meant there wasn’t a keyboard cover or cabinet, making the keyboard more or less exposed.
  • 11. 1970s IMSAI Computer with front panel key switches
  • 12. 1970s Altair Home Office Desk Set-Up. In the late 1970s Apple, Radio Shack and Commodore all had the foresight to see the large market in computer keyboards, and started manufacturing keyboards for their computers, paving the way for the modern assumption that all computers come with a keyboard, and that keyboards are the primary, standard input device
  • 13. 1986 IBM Model M Keyboard  In 1981, IBM released their first PC. In 1986, it came equipped with the Model M keyboard. This computer keyboard was wildly successful because it was so easy to use, users didn’t have to convert their typewriters or provide their own build of keyboard to use as an input device for their computers. The Model M was a mechanical keyboard, and used the highest quality construction, giving typists the satisfaction of tactile feedback, acute accuracy and comfort. The only draw backs on this keyboard was that the “Shift” and “Enter” keys were reportedly too small for the majority of user’s preferences. Because of this, IBM made and sold “Keytop Expanders” which fit over the shift and enter key-switches to expand the keys. All of the keyboards at this time were limited in that they were only offered in two colors: beige and grey, until the late 1980s when black was introduced as an option.
  • 14. 1986 IBM Model M Keyboard
  • 15. Apple-Keyboard-1983-vs-2010  In the 1990s membrane switches began to replace the mechanical key switch, as it was quieter, weighed less, and suited the needs of the new laptop generation. This was also an advantage for the manufactures because membrane keyboards were much cheaper to produce. Unfortunately the quality of the keyboard significantly dropped as these superficial keyboard aesthetics dominated (slimmer, quieter, lighter weight, easier to be mobile with). The technology and mechanics of these keyboards will be detailed in future chapters, and mechanical keyboard information can be found here: on our Mechanical Keyboard Guide. Here’s a photo showing the dramatic difference between early Apple mechanical keyboards (1983), and decades later the modern non-mechanical Apple keyboards (2010).
  • 16. True Touch Roll-up Keyboard
  • 17. Laser Keyboard andiPad and iPhone Virtual Touch-Screen Keyboards
  • 18. Altuq Toprak’s Flying Saucer keyboard andJellyfish Keyboard. Industrial Designer: Erik Campbell. Inventor: Doug Engelbart.
  • 20.  Keyboards come in all shapes, sizes, and colors these days, though it’s important to remember that without the original, simple, powerhouse mechanical keyboards of IBM we wouldn’t be where we are today. With all of the design innovations being manufactured, there is no surprise that many creative keyboard aficionados have started to emerge with their own inventive modifications to improve the typing experience and aesthetic. Richard “Doc” Nagy has taken his creativity, and craftsmanship to the next level in keyboard design and has built some very interesting and inventive keyboard mods that seem to have traveled back in time, with a paradoxically futuristic edge. From steam punk and art deco themed keyboards, to keyboards with scrabble tiles for keys, Doc’s modified mechanical keyboards are true works of art (and fully functional