Typewriters and Inventors

One of the first typewriters to allow typists to see work in progress was invented in 1855 by Giuseppe Ravizza.

In 1861 a Brazilian priest made a typewriter from wood and knives and was awarded a gold medal for his invention by the Brazilian emperor.  Controversially, many people consider Father de Azevedo to be the real inventor of the typewriter.

Peter Mitterhofer's creation, in 1864, was the first of five designs by the Austrian, the last in 1868.

The first typewriter to be sold commercially was in 1870 by the Reverend Malling Hansen of Denmark whose design, the Hansen Writing Ball was a success throughout Europe for several decades and being used in London as late as 1909.

Until the late 1860s most typewriters were slower than handwriting.  The first of these faster typewriters, by Scholes, Soule and Glidden, in 1867, was sold for $12,000 to Densmore and Yost who later licensed the typewriter design to Remington, whose typewriter was produced in New York in 1873.

Underwood was also famous for creating typewriters and very famous also for creating early stereoviews.