International Typewriter Day!

June 23 is International Typewriter Day, marking this day in 1868 that the patent was granted to Christopher Latham Sholes. 

Here's an excerpt from The Typewriter: a Graphic History of the Beloved Machine:

Christopher Latham Sholes

The Father of the Typewriter

The notion of a machine to replace handwriting had been toyed with for centuries. English engineer Henry Mill patented the concept in 1714 as “an artificial machine or method for impressing or transcribing of letters, one after another, as in writing, whereby all writing whatsoever may be engrossed in paper or parchment so neat and exact as not to be distinguished from print.”

Though there is a long list of inventors preceding him, Christopher Latham Sholes is the man history has awarded the winning title of inventor of the typewriter, patented on June 23, 1868. His machine was the first to be commercially successful and from it all other modern typewriters evolved.

“I do feel that I have done something for the women who have always had to work so hard. This will enable them more easily to earn a living.”

–CHRISTOPHER LATHAM SHOLES

To read more about The Typewriter: A Graphic History of the Beloved Machine please visit the book's website.