Aquano's Blog: Typewriter History

The invention of the Smith Corona typewriter began an era of innovation in this country. Many different versions of typewriters were introduced into the market. Some, like the Smith Corona typewriter, survived while others failed to catch on. The Smith Corona typewriter was an electric typewriter designed to be a portable tool for business people and writers. The Smith Corona typewriter was quite popular and soon became a machine widely used in private homes and businesses.The Smith Corona typewriter was created in the late 19th centurt by the LC Smith & Bros Typewriter Company. The company that created the Smith Corona typewriters reorganized several times, incorporating several innovations into the Smith Corona typewriter. The Smith Corona typewriter was one of about five brands of typewriters to dominate the typewriter market in the 1900’s. The Smith Corona typewriter became the dominant force by perfecting the “visible” portable typewriter. The Smith Corona typewriter was capable of allowing the user to see what they were typing as they were typing it. The Smith Corona typewriter (known as Smith & Corona at this point) was marketed directly to the residential market after the Great Depression. The Smith Corona typewriter became the most popular by the mid-1950’s and further innovations were made to the design. The keyboard of the Smith Corona typewriter was redesigned to be more ergonomic. With more control features on the Smith Corona typewriter keyboard and a repeat action on all the keys, the Smith Corona typewriter was setting the standard in typewriter technology. In the 1960’s, the Smith Corona typewriter was the first typewriter developed with a power carriage return. Smith Corona typewriters began to set industry standards.