The Story of the Typewriter, 1873-1923Herkimer County Historical Society
History
The Story of the Typewriter, 1873-1923
Herkimer County Historical Society
Typewriters -- History
When did it actually come? From the very beginning in many individual
cases, like Clephane's and Weller's and Wyckoff's. But as a feature
in commercial education, not until several years after the invention
of the writing machine. The first school which taught typewriting,
of which there is positive record, was opened by D. L. Scott-Browne
at 737 Broadway, New York, in 1878. From that time, however, the
development became rapid, and within a few years there were similar
schools in every large city in the country. From this time also begins
the real success of the typewriter in finding a market. As shorthand
writing, during the ages that preceded the writing machine, had only a
restricted field of usefulness, so the typewriter in its early years,
before it joined forces with shorthand, was confined to a very limited
sale. And then it made its partnership with stenography--the most
remarkable partnership in all business history. Of late years another
important invention, the office phonograph, has made its bid for a
share in this partnership, but the status of the writing machine,
as the senior partner, is impregnably established.
Meanwhile the typewriter itself was about to undergo a great
development. It is hardly a coincidence that the first school to teach
typewriting and the first typewriter which won a wide popularity
both appeared in the same year, 1878. This machine was the Model 2
Remington, the first typewriter which wrote both capitals and small
letters. This first shift-key model, like the Model 1 of 1874, was
the product of several master minds. Jenne, of course, had a big hand
in it; so also did other men who had labored with him on the first
model. The problem of printing both capitals and small letters, with
the standard keyboard arrangement, was solved by the combination of
the cylinder shifting device, invented by Lucien S. Crandall, with
type bars carrying two types, a capital and a small face of the same
letter, invented by Byron A. Brooks. The shift-key machine proved to
be a long step in advance, and the typewriter soon began to gain in
popular favor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account