QWERTY

Before there were keyboards, before there were screens, there was the rhythmic clatter of metal keys striking paper. In this episode of Dave Does History, we’re rolling back to June 23, 1868—the day Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for a curious contraption called the “Type-Writer.” What started as a tinkerer’s solution to sloppy handwriting became one of the most transformative inventions in modern history. It reshaped business, opened doors for women in the workplace, and even taught generations how to write and think in rhythm. But behind the clack of keys is a very human story—one of trial, error, jammed keys, and unexpected revolution. Join us as we tell the tale of how a printer from Milwaukee helped usher in the age of modern communication, and how the legacy of his invention lives on every time you tap a key. Spoiler alert: QWERTY was no accident.