Looking Back At When Schools Taught Typing Class On Actual Typewriters

Jun 09, 2020 by apost team

The way we type letters on a keyboard hasn't changed much over the years, but the machines we do it on sure have! Invented in the 19th century, the typewriter has been around for a long time, and until not that long ago how to use one was still taught in schools. Let's take a look at this time, before schools switched to teaching typing on computer keyboards.

The history of the typewriter isn't so clearly defined. Britannica explains that there were various attempts at creating one in the 19th century, although many of the models were extremely large and cumbersome, with some the size of pianos! None of these proved to be faster than handwriting and so they didn't really take off.

But then in 1867, an American inventor named Christopher Latham Sholes was inspired after reading an article in the Scientific American journal about a British machine. He went on to create the first practical typewriter, and before long, his second iteration of the machine was patented on June 23, 1868, after it successfully wrote much faster than one could handwrite with a pen.

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After continually making improvements and partnering with a company called E. Remington and Sons, manufacturing of the machines went into production and they were on the market by 1874, before being named Remington. Interestingly, author Mark Twain was the first writer to submit a typewritten book manuscript, using his Remington.

Fast forward to the last few decades, when the crossover of typing on electric typewriters merged with the early computer prototypes. Do you remember taking typing class in high school? There were the satisfying sounds of the buttons being pressed and the ding that was rung after the return key was pressed. What a unique experience that kids today no longer have!

As computers began to become more common, the method of learning how to type changed from electric typewriters to early computer-based programs. The Atlantic describes how one game named Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing was a commercially successful approach to teaching typing.

Furthermore, The Atlantic discusses how back in those days, typing was rather gendered, with women learning it more proficiently, as their roles in the business world required it. But with the invention and ubiquity of computers, typing became standard for all people—women, men, and children—and so the age at which kids started to learn how to type in school gradually became lower as well.

Despite the major changes that typing has seen over the last nearly two centuries, some things have remained virtually the same. The QWERTY approach to typing, which is so named due to the layout of the letters on a typewriter, has barely changed, proving that it was a good system to begin with. This is now considered standard for all computer keyboards.

For more interesting information on the history of typewriting, check out these two informative videos.

Did you learn how to type on an electric typewriter? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this on to any family and friends who might have done the same!