The History Of The Typewriter

If you are interested in writing or antiques, it’s likely that you’ve been fascinated by a typewriter before. While many ancient typewriters have been replaced by the idea of our digital keyboards the analog typewriter is making a reappearance. For items like stationary, invitations, letters and more, the standard typewriter can be very useful today! Here is a little about the history of the typewriter so we can remember where the modern keyboard came from:

One of the earliest style typewriters was actually produced in the year 1575 by Italian printmaker. A machine that would impress letters directly onto paper was the first of its kind and invented by Francesco Rampazetto.

The first patent on a typewriter machine belongs to Henry Mill and it wasn’t until the year 1714. This would spawn numerous revisions of the typewriter including the first model designed for the blind in 1802 as well as the first carbon paper style typewriter that was invented by Pellegrino Turri in 1808.

The very first typewriter that resembled a regular analog typewriter that we may know today was produced in 1829 by William Austin Burt in America. The first version was much slower than handwriting but when the typewriter began to use keys instead of a dial system, this would be the revolution that could modernize the device. The use of a keyboard ensured that the typewriter from 1829 was able to generate clear writing and reports at speeds considerably faster than anyone could handwrite legibly.

As typewriters continue to modernize we would eventually find ourselves using digital typewriters and eventually full computers. Although the original modern analog typewriters from the 19th century are still very sought after, there are a few companies that are even producing modern recreations of these antique machines today.