# Typewriter Keys column

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typewriter-keys-column/191940>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 30, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typewriter-keys-column/191940 "2003-07-30T17:24:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xanadu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c4cdca/32.png) [@xanadu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanadu)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typewriter-keys-column/191940/1 "2003-07-30T17:24:14Z")

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Regarding Cecil’s column on why typewriter keys are arranged as they are:  
I always thought that the keys were arranged in the QWERTY format so that typewriter salesmen could demonstrate how easy they were to use. All of the letters that spell “typewriter” are on the first line, so the salesman could quickly type that word out to convince customers that typing is easy. This theory makes sense to me, but it’s not even mentioned in the column…

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**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/typewriter-keys-column/191940/2 "2003-07-30T17:53:31Z")

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[Link to column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_248.html)

[This](http://www.cse.ogi.edu/~dylan/dvorak/dvorak.html) Dvorak advocacy site cites Grollier’s encyclopedia for the claim about “typewriter” being typable from the first line for the benefit of hunt-and-peck salesmen.