Bizzare Facts

The sleek, ergonomic, and often wireless peripheral we use today has incredibly humble and decidedly analog origins. In **1964**, inventor **Douglas Engelbart** and his team at the Stanford Research Institute created the first prototype of the device we now call the mouse. It was a simple, hand-carved wooden block with two perpendicular metal wheels underneath to track movement.

Engelbart's goal was to create a way for users to interact with graphical displays without using the keyboard. The device was bulky, had only one button, and its functionality was demonstrated as part of Engelbart's 1968 'Mother of All Demos'—a historic presentation that previewed nearly every essential element of modern computing, from video conferencing to hyperlinking.

The iconic name was born from the device's shape and the cord that trailed from the back, which resembled a mouse's tail. The fact that the ultimate symbol of digital interaction started as a wooden block perfectly illustrates the iterative, materials-driven nature of technological invention. It proves that the future often begins with an artisan's touch, not just a silicon chip.