At this point, Soule and Glidden turned their shares to Sholes and Densmore.
Experimental versions of the typewriter were sent to a few stenographers for their criticisms and this helped improve it. The first 50 machines produced had an average cost of $250.
They took the machine to E. Remington and Sons, a manufacturer of firearms, sewing machines and farm implements. They offered to buy the patent from them. Sholes sold his half of the patent for $12,000. Densmore insisted on a royalty for his share, which eventually earned him $1.5 million. Eventually, the machine became known as the famous Remington typewriter.
Sholes continued working to improve the typewriter in Milwaukee. In 1873 he developed a new arrangement for the keys which became known, and still is, as the QWERTY keyboard. (Hey, I just typed it.) It was so made so that commonly used letter combinations were split up to prevent keys from jamming when typists pressed them too quickly.
The QWERTY keyboard was an instant success and has since made the transition from typewriters to computers.
Christopher Latham Sholes died on February 17, 1890, after a long battle with tuberculosis.
--CootType
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