Charles Thurber (inventor) explained

Charles Thurber
Birth Date:	2 January 1803
Birth Place:	East Brookfield, Massachusetts
Nationality:	American
Known For:	Inventor of Typewriter

Charles Thurber (January 2, 1803 – November 7, 1886) was an inventor and firearms maker who made important innovations in the early development of the typewriter.^[1] According to the book The Marvels of Modern Mechanism published in 1901, Thurber invented and patented in 1843 the first practical typewriter, though it admits his machine was slow, crude and was never manufactured.^[2]

Career

Thurber was a partner with his brother-in-law, Ethan Allen in a firearms manufacturing company known as Allen & Thurber.^[3]

Aside from firearms, he developed multiple patents, the first in 1843 for an aid to the blind^[4] and in 1845 he patented his Chirographer^[5]

Notes and References

1. https://www.jstor.org/pss/3103156 Typewriter Inventor
2. http://www.todayinsci.com/Events/Typewriter/ThurberPatent-Extract.htm Extract from: The Marvels of Modern Mechanism (1901)
3. Book: Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. 3 December 2007. F+W Media, Inc.. Iola, Wisconsin. 978-1-4402-2422-5. 51.
4. Web site: Patent No. 3,228, dated August 26, 1843 "IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PRINTING".
5. Thurber's Chirographer. Scientific American. 2. 16. Jan 9, 1847. 124. 10.1038/scientificamerican01091847-124a.