1890day.year
Christopher Latham Sholes
(1819 - 1890)
American publisher and politician
American publisher and politician
Christopher Latham Sholes was an American inventor, newspaper publisher, and politician best known for inventing the QWERTY typewriter keyboard.
Born in 1819 in Mooresburg, Pennsylvania, Sholes began his career as a printer and newspaper publisher.
He experimented with early writing machines and, in 1868, patented the first practical typewriter.
Working with colleagues, he refined the keyboard layout to reduce mechanical jams, resulting in the QWERTY arrangement still used today.
Sholes sold his invention rights to Remington and Sons, helping to launch the commercial typewriter industry.
He also served in the Wisconsin State Senate, demonstrating a blend of technical ingenuity and public service.
Sholes died in 1890, but his revolutionary contribution continues to shape the way people write and communicate.
1890
Christopher Latham Sholes