First, let me give a shout-out to one of my favorite YouTube channels. If you like unique and quirky takes on history and technology, I highly recommend #Thoughty2 which piqued my interest with a video entitled: “Why your keyboard is designed to slow you down”

It all started back in 1869 when a gentleman named Samuel Soule invented not the first, but one of the first typewriters. It was an odd cantraption that looked more like a piano than a typewriter.

The big problem with this early keyboard was that the mechanism had a tendency to jam. A lot. So uncle Sam set about designing a machine with a keyboard that would separate the most used keys to avoid collision. Thus, the QWERTY keyboard was born. Ever wonder about the name? Take a look at the first 5 letters on the top row of your keyboard. You guessed it. QWERTY.

The glue that stuck this keyboard indelibly in the minds of typists everywhere was his new found partnership with the Remington corporation. Yes, THAT Remington. Bang Bang. Remington began manufacturing and selling uncle Sam’s quirky qwerty machine and before long there was no turning back.

So, while the modern keyboard may not have been designed to actually slow you down, it does none the less. Just consider that when you divide the keyboard layout in half, the left hand has 14 keys while the right hand has only 12. All you lefties out there raise your hand.