IT Services Circle

Sep 24, 2026 · Industry Insights

Why Caps Lock Steals the Best Key Spot: 150 Years of Accidental Design

The article traces Caps Lock from its 1878 mechanical typewriter origins as a physical latch to reduce typist fatigue, through Bell Labs' 1972 electronic Caps Lock, to IBM's 1986 Model M keyboard that moved Control to the corner and placed Caps Lock in the prime home-row position for visual symmetry, causing decades of ergonomic issues and widespread remapping.