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

The American secretary set the mark on an electric typewriter in 1946. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, 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 records & extremes fact?

Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 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.

Mondo Knows Facts

Stella Pajunas typed at 216 words per minute

The American secretary set the mark on an electric typewriter in 1946 Pajunas, then a teenager in Baltimore, was timed at 216 words per minute on an IBM electric machine, a record that has never been beaten on a standard keyboard. Speed is judged on a prepared passage with penalties for errors, so accuracy counts as much as pace. Her technique relied on short bursts and a light touch rather than looking at the keys. It sits in Mondo's records & extremes collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Smithsonian Institution

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: typing, speed, office

Stella Pajunas typed at 216 words per minute: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The American secretary set the mark on an electric typewriter in 1946. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, 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 records & extremes fact?: Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 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.