Computer mouse hits 40

The original mouse had two wheels set at right angles to each other and the computer plotted the distance each wheel moved. Then in 1972 Xerox PARC came up with a ball mouse.

Engelbart developed the mouse while at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), one of the largest research institutes in the world.

“Doug Engelbart once said, ‘The better we get, the better we get at getting better'. That concept, combined with his creation of perhaps the most innovative interactive computing tools ever developed, has been a personal inspiration to me,” said Curt Carlson, SRI president.

“Doug and his team exemplified the disciplined approach to innovation still used by SRI researchers today. By focusing on a very important problem, capturing the genius of the team, and continuously improving their tools, they accomplished a tour de force unlike any other in the field. Silicon Valley, the computing industry, and society are indebted to Doug and his team.”

The first mouse was made of wood and had a single button, a design copied by Apple until recently, and was used to highlight text on a written document.