Click. Scroll. Double-click.

These are everyday actions now — but back in 1968, the idea of controlling a computer with your hand was totally unheard of.

On September 5, 1968, a curious little device made its public debut:
A wooden box.
Two wheels.
A single red button.
It didn’t look like much — but it would quietly change computing forever.

Let’s meet the world’s first computer mouse, and the man who invented it before most people even had computers.

🧠 Meet the Inventor: Douglas Engelbart

Doug Engelbart wasn’t trying to invent a mouse.
He was trying to boost human intelligence.

He worked at Stanford Research Institute, dreaming of ways to help people interact with computers in faster, more natural ways.

At the time, using a computer meant typing commands — slowly — on a keyboard.
No icons. No windows. No screen to “click.”

Engelbart had a bold idea:
What if you could move a pointer on a screen — using your hand?

So, in the mid-1960s, he and his team built a prototype:
A small wooden shell with wheels underneath, connected by a cord.

They called it… “the mouse.”
(Why? Because of the tail-like cord sticking out the back!)

🧪 The “Mother of All Demos”

On December 9, 1968, Engelbart unveiled the mouse to the world during a now-famous tech demo — later nicknamed “The Mother of All Demos.”

In 90 minutes, he showed off:

• The first mouse

• Hypertext (like web links!)

• Video conferencing

• Word processing

• Collaborative editing

People were blown away.
This wasn’t science fiction. It was the future, live on stage.

But even after the demo, it took years for the mouse to catch on…

💻 From Obscure to Essential

In the ’70s and early ’80s, most people still used computers with keyboards only.

Then, in 1984, Apple released the Macintosh — with a sleek, simple mouse included.

Suddenly, pointing and clicking became normal.
The mouse helped unlock:

• Graphical user interfaces

• Drag and drop tools

• Desktop computing for everyone

Thanks to Engelbart’s invention, computers weren’t just for experts anymore.
They became personal, playful, and powerful.

🧠 What We Can Learn

• Big change can come from small inventions

• Tools that feel “normal” today were once radically new

• The future is often built by people who dare to imagine it first

So next time you move your cursor or tap your trackpad, remember:
It all started with a little wooden box and a big idea — on a stage, in 1968.