Though over 150 years old, the keyboard remains one of the most popular tools for communication and writing.

It began as a feature on typewriters but has since evolved to become part of desktop and laptop computers, cellphones, and digital tablets. The standard English keyboard layout is known as QWERTY and is named for the first six letters starting from the top left and going to the right.

The initial key placement made in 1873 had some minor differences compared to the keyboard we know today, such as the letter M being on the middle line of letters. While the arrangement might look random, they are actually spaced that way to prevent jamming.

Letters that frequently appear next to one another in words were placed farther apart on the layout. Before this, when the letters were arranged alphabetically, the typewriter’s type bars would stick together if quickly pressed one after another.

Despite this hardware glitch no longer being a problem on our modern devices, QWERTY has survived the test of time. It is so prevalent in the modern world that the average person will type on a keyboard for three hours a day or more. This might sound like a lot, but it is not so surprising when you think about how much time people write on social media and other forms of messaging. Many people now, especially since the pandemic, work online as well.

Thinking about the logistics of typing is interesting as well. The average person can type about 40 WPM (Words Per Minute). If they also spend about three hours of their day typing, that means they average around 7200 words a day! That is more than many authors write daily for their books. It is crazy to think about many words are produced each day, all thanks to the keyboard.