Tech History Timelines & Fascinating Facts

Question: What was the reason behind the design of the QWERTY keyboard layout?

Answer: To slow typists down!

The QWERTY keyboard layout was invented in the 1870s by Christopher Latham Sholes, the creator of the first commercially successful typewriter. Early typewriters used mechanical arms that would jam when adjacent keys were struck in quick succession. To reduce these jams, Sholes intentionally slowed typists down by spreading out commonly used letter pairs — resulting in the now-familiar QWERTY layout.

Despite more efficient layouts being introduced and mechanical problems eliminated, the layout stuck and remains the global standard to this day.