Arguably Milwaukee’s most famous export, the QWERTY keyboard is named after the arrangement of letters on the first commercially successful typewriter, which went into production in 1873. Typewriters are mostly obsolete today, but their keyboards are not. Billions of people still type using the same layout of keys, a quaint Victorian relic at the heart of even the most advanced computer. Why has QWERTY been so durable, and where did it come from?

Join UWM Professor Jason Puskar for a tour of QWERTY’s past, present, and future. He’ll debunk the myth that the keys had to be scrambled in order to slow down typing and prevent jamming. And he’ll show you how to spot the vestigial remains of even earlier technologies—from pianos to printing telegraphs—in your own computer keyboard today.

In addition to two lecture times, drop-in programming will be held on the First Floor from noon-1:00 p.m. and 2:00-3:00p.m.

Visit the Milwaukee Public Museum website for more information.