Sholes and Glidden typewriter first marketed

Background. Work on the typewriter began in 1867, with James Densmore providing financial backing after Soule left. The machine's design, including the QWERTY layout, was finalized by 1872. In 1873, Densmore sold manufacturing rights to E. Remington and Sons, who refined the device before placing it on the market.

First Marketing. E. Remington and Sons began production in September 1873 after retooling their factory. The machine was officially placed on the market on July 1, 1874. Despite being the first commercial typewriter, sales were initially slow, with only 400 units sold by December 1874 due to high prices and reliability issues.

Design Features. The typewriter featured a cylindrical platen redesigned in 1872 to allow paper of any length. It utilized the QWERTY keyboard layout, which became the de facto standard. The machine's form assumed by the end of 1872 became the industry standard, remaining largely unchanged for the next century.