Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Christopher Latham Sholes arranged keys in 1873 to separate frequently used letter combinations. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Magazine, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a technology fact?

Yes. It sits on the Technology shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The QWERTY keyboard layout was created to prevent mechanical typewriter jams

Christopher Latham Sholes arranged keys in 1873 to separate frequently used letter combinations

Typewriter inventor Christopher Latham Sholes designed the QWERTY layout to slow down rapid key presses that caused mechanical arms to collide and jam. The arrangement separated common letter pairs like T and H across the keyboard mechanics. The layout proved so successful that it remained the global standard for electronic keyboards and touchscreens.

QWERTY keyboard photograph — MichaelMaggs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

Smithsonian Magazine

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Tags: keyboard, qwerty, typewriter

The QWERTY keyboard layout was created to prevent mechanical typewriter jams: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Christopher Latham Sholes arranged keys in 1873 to separate frequently used letter combinations. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Magazine, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a technology fact?: Yes. It sits on the Technology shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.