1872 - Christopher Sholes invents the first practical typewriter, with the familiar QWERTY keyboard. It is marketed by the Remington Arms Company, maker of many famous guns. Typing classes and jobs for typists proliferate, providing new employment opportunities for women in clerical jobs previously closed to them. A typist can produce a document three times to 20 times faster than a clerk with a pen. Educators soon notice that students who learn to type improve their reading and writing skills. (© AP Images)