The Invention of the Mouse

The invention of the computer mouse can be credited to Douglas Engelbart, who was inspired by a tool called a planimeter. Engelbart developed the idea further at the Stanford Research Institute and created a prototype with help from Bill English. This early mouse had two wheels that controlled the X and Y coordinates on a display. Despite being scooped by Germany's AEG telefunken, Engelbart gained recognition for his mouse during the Mother of All Demos in 1968. Xerox Park and later Apple and Microsoft helped popularize the mouse, leading to its mainstream adoption with the release of Apple's Macintosh in 1984.