It's hard to believe that the computer mouse is celebrating its 40th birthday today. Honestly, it doesn't look a day over 25.
On this date in 1968, inventor Douglas Engelbart demoed the first mouse at the Fall Joint Computer Conference (FJCC). That mouse was a big wooden box built by Bill English, who would continue to play an important role in the device's evolution.
After the jump check out some of the highlights of the mouse's long and colorful career.
1952: The First Trackball
It's been said that all of the great technological innovations were first developed for space exploration or the military--and the mouse was no exception: An early precursor to the mouse, the trackball was created for the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952.
1968: The First Mouse
As demoed by Portland-born inventor Douglas Engelbart 40 years ago. Engelbart's mouse was composed of two metal wheels housed in a wooden block. The inventor never received money for his patent.
1972: The First Mouse Ball
Xerox inventor Bill English replaces Engelbart's metal wheels with a ball that lets the mouse roll in far more directions than the simple X and Y axis model.
1980: First Optical Mouse
Mouse Systems founder Steve Kirsch patents an early version of the optical mouse. Several other variations of the technology arise around the same time, but the technology won't start to gain a real foothold until the following decade.
1983: The Microsoft Mouse
Over the next two decades, Microsoft would impact nearly every aspect of the consumer electronics world, including a great run of mice for regular consumers and gamers alike (I'm actually using an MS mouse as I type this). This early incarnation shipped with a music tutorial, a population simulator, and Multi-Toll NotePad, all for the low price of $195.
1983: Apple Lisa Mouse
This early and incredibly expensive desktop ($9,995, for the record) was one of the first personal computers to ship with a GUI and mouse. The single-button design would prove a mainstay in Apple mice for years to come.
1991: First Wireless RF Mouse
Logitech's Mouseman finally cuts the pesky cord with the world's first commercially available wireless RF mouse.
1995: The Scroll Wheel
Genius's Eric Michelman pops a big spinning wheel between the EasyScroll mouse's left and right buttons.
2005: Footmouse
Products like the No Hands Mouse are marketed largely toward users with disabilities, eliminating the need to move hands between the keyboard and mouse.
2006: The Gyroscopic Mouse
Bringing the fun of the Nintendo Wii to the world of the mouse, devices like the Logitech MX Air add a third dimension to traditional mice.
2006: The Mouse Phone
It's a mouse! And a phone! These VOiP handset mice get points for effort, if not much else...
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December 9, 2008 4:00 PM
Wow - it's been quite a ride, huh? That first trackball looks like something frightening, out of a sci-fi movie...like it'll zap your fingers if you get them too close to those metal posts there!
I definitely dig gyroscopic mice too, I wonder if they'll ever be used for more than conference rooms and presentations.
And come to think, it's only been a few years since I learned that I was using the mouse upside down (cord towards me, not away from me) and got made fun of mercilessly until I started using it the right way.
December 9, 2008 6:50 PM
That's really interesting. Wireless mouse in 1991. Optical mouse in 1980! We haven't really made as much progress as I'd thought. I wander if the whole touch thing going on right now will really replace it.
December 9, 2008 9:00 PM
fingerprints on the monitor drive me nuts right now. I can't imagine a touch screen computer, that would push me over the edge!
December 9, 2008 11:02 PM
I guess the history isn't about utilities that can move a cursor about a page, else it would also list the Wacom tablet and laptop touch-pad.
Showing some of the more unusual adaptations of mice might have been nice too, such as the Mac "Blueberry" round mouse that shipped with the set up until after the 10gig Platinum. They didn't go over well because you could accidentally orient them in your hand incorrectly without noticing. Anyone else have mouse stories?
December 10, 2008 9:57 AM
Funny story: My mouse died after I didn't feed it. Ok so not that funny, I still feel guilty about that.
December 10, 2008 11:27 AM
Forty years ... whoop-whoop-dee-doo.
Has anyone solved "mouse lag" yet? Answer is no. Lots of theories out there by people who don't have a clue ... lack of ram, video driver problems, turn off enhanced tracking features, bad surface, wireless interference, use a blank piece of white paper to mouse on, switch to wired, switch to Logitech, switch to Microsoft, switch to xxxx, replace with a wired mouse, switch frequencies, re-install drivers, Vista problem, etc.
Bottom line: someone neglected to retrieve the complete set of mouse technology from the Roswell spacecraft and we have been saddled with mouse lag ever since!
December 11, 2008 12:41 PM
Boy what a memory (now you'll know how old I am). The first commercial systems to use a mouse also introduced the term "WIMP" (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointing device). We've come a long way...
December 11, 2008 12:58 PM
Gee, I though it was patented in 1964 U.S. Patent # 3,541,541. It was demonstrated publicly in 1968! So that would make it 44 years...
December 11, 2008 2:27 PM
gyro mouse in 2006? I remember playing with a gyro mouse in the late 90's... The history is a bit off.
December 11, 2008 7:38 PM
I showed my 78-year old mother my computer and had here sit down in front of it.
She picked up the mouse, pointed it at the screen and started clicking away.
The only paradigm that she had seen for using a box-shaped-object-with-buttons and a screen was the TV remote control.
I guess, considering her previous training, it was a pretty good attempt at controlling the computer.
It was pretty hilarious.....
December 12, 2008 12:32 AM
Nice collection, great work.
I just wonder why its written handmouse on the foot mouse example?
January 27, 2009 5:31 PM
Excellent! Thanks. I'm going to blog about this for sure!