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Thursday 13 November 2014

Typewriters: 1880 versus 1930

'Well, if you beat me, there's gonna be war, that's all there is to it ' ...
The younger, fair-haired man seen in this 1930 movie is the great speed typist George Hossfeld. The older gentleman is James Nelson Kimball (1855-1943), an Underwood employee and for many years organiser of the world speed typing championships. Seems like a real character.
Beside Hossfeld in the opening sequence is Stella Willins, and competing against Kimball is the Canadian Irma Wright. Willins and Wright were both world amateur champions. 
Below, the legendary Albert Tangora in 1937. The first male seen in the video is the later world champion Cortez Wilson Peters (1906-1964).

'Yes, you heard ...." European championships, The Hague, Netherlands, 1938

3 comments:

Bill M said...

Wow! Now that is some fast typing.
I only have 2 machines that I can drop a paper into and have it thread straight 100% of the time; my Underwood SS and Royal HH. Fastest machines: Undersood SS and Adler J4.

Richard P said...

These are great.

So that's what J.N. Kimball looked like? And he survived for another 13 years??

Anonymous said...

Wow...I got nothing.