The idea of the basic electric typewriter was invented by Thomas Edison from the United Stock Ticker in 1870. This typewriter was able to print letters and numbers generated by a typewriter at the opposite end of a telegraph line.
First Electric Typewriters
The first electric typewriter produced was invented by the Blickensdefer manufacturing Company of Stamford, CT, in 1902. It operate by using a cylinder shaped type wheel instead of using individual type bars. However, despite being a great invention it was not very successful due to the fact that at this time electricity was still a little scarce and voltages differed from place to place. Another early typewriter was invented by Charles and Howard Krum whom invented the first practical teletypewriter called the Morkrum Printing Telegraph. This machine also using a type wheel and was used to the first commercial teletype message system.
Power-Operated Typewriter
James Fields Smathers invented the first power-operated typewriter in 1914 and in 1920, after returning from the army he produced successful models which he then turned over to the Northeast Electric Company of Rochester. From 1925 onwards, Remington Electric Typewriters were produced with power from the motors that Northeast Electric Company of Rochester had.
Electric typewriters contained only a single electric component which was the motor. In the place that the keystroke used to move a type bar directly, a motor directed mechanical power into the type bar, making it move by itself.
Electric typewriters contained only a single electric component which was the motor. In the place that the keystroke used to move a type bar directly, a motor directed mechanical power into the type bar, making it move by itself.