The Evolution of the Typewriter
The modern typewriter did not arrive in one leap. It emerged through centuries of experiments in accessible writing, keyboard design, visible typing, electrification, interchangeable type, and electronic memory.
Nine Milestones That Shaped the Typewriter
Early Ideas for Mechanical Writing
Francesco Rampazetto's 1575 device for impressing letters and the writing machine associated with Pellegrino Turri and Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano in the early 1800s show that inventors were exploring mechanical writing long before a standard keyboard existed.
William Austin Burt Patents the “Typographer”
American inventor William Austin Burt received a patent for a writing machine he called the Typographer. It was slow and did not become a commercial standard, but it marked an important documented step.
Prototypes Multiply Across Europe
Peter Mitterhofer built several wooden and metal prototypes in Austria. In Denmark, Rasmus Malling-Hansen developed the distinctive Writing Ball, patented in 1870 and produced in limited numbers for institutional and professional use.
Sholes, Glidden, and Soule Reach the Market
Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule patented an early practical writing machine in 1868. E. Remington & Sons began producing the Sholes and Glidden Type-Writer in 1874. Its keyboard helped set the path toward QWERTY, although the layout continued to evolve.
Underwood Makes the Writing Visible
Early typewriters often hid the line being typed. Underwood's front-strike, visible-writing machines—and especially the later Underwood No. 5—helped establish the familiar arrangement of keyboard, typebars, ribbon, and visible platen.
Electric Power Changes the Keystroke
James Fields Smathers developed a practical power-operated typewriter in the 1910s. Remington marketed an electric machine in the 1920s, and IBM entered the field after acquiring Electromatic Typewriters, introducing IBM electric models in 1935.
The IBM Selectric Replaces Typebars With a Type Element
The IBM Selectric used a spherical type element that moved across the page. Changeable elements made type styles easier to switch, while the design avoided the typebar collisions familiar to fast manual typists.
Correction Becomes a Built-In Feature
The IBM Correcting Selectric paired a correctable film ribbon with lift-off tape, making clean corrections faster and helping turn “erase” into a built-in typewriter function.
The Wheelwriter Brings the Typewriter Into the Electronic Era
IBM introduced the Wheelwriter line in 1984 with interchangeable printwheels and microprocessor-controlled functions. Depending on the model, later machines added correction memory, spell-check, storage, display support, and document-oriented features.
Three Designs That Changed the Page
What the Typewriter Became
Manual
Portable, unplugged, tactile machines that preserve the classic carriage-and-typebar experience.
Electric
Powered machines that reduce keystroke effort while retaining direct paper output.
Electronic
Printwheel machines with automatic correction, formatting, memory, or displays depending on the model.
Typewriter History FAQs
Who invented the typewriter?
No single person created every defining feature. The modern machine grew from many inventions, while the Sholes and Glidden machine became a major commercial turning point.
When did QWERTY become standard?
The Sholes family of machines helped popularize versions of QWERTY in the late 1800s. Adoption expanded as Remington machines and touch-typing systems spread.
What was revolutionary about the IBM Selectric?
Its moving spherical type element replaced the traditional typebar basket, reduced typebar-jam problems, and made changing type styles easier.
Are typewriters still made?
Yes. New manual and electronic typewriters remain available, alongside reconditioned vintage and office machines.
Write the Next Page of the Story
Explore new manual typewriters, modern electronic models, and reconditioned IBM Wheelwriters built on centuries of mechanical innovation.
