Happy Birthday Douglas C. Engelbart

Have you ever seen a wooden shell with a circuit board and 2 metal wheels? Maybe not, but if we ask someone from the 60s they may know that this is what the first computer mouse looked like. Today we cannot imagine our lives without a mouse; even the advent of touchpad powered computers and other input devices like joysticks, light pens has not been able to undermine the utility of a good old mouse. I can’t even imagine working for an hour without it.

This gentleman called Douglas C. Engelbart invented computer mouse and today is remembered for his contributions to computers and the internet. As we celebrate his birthday today, we’d like to thank him for making our lives unbelievably simple. He is remembered as the father of the field of human-computer interactions, who apart from the mouse also developed hypertext, the concept of networked computers and precursors to GUIs.

The following are some things about Douglas that inspire us:
1) He wanted to make the world a better place: Douglas quit his steady job at NASA’s Ames research center to work for common welfare for he believed that complexities were on an all time rise and he wanted to develop ways of building collective intelligence.

2)The vision for future: Each of his innovations was implemented with a clear idea of what purpose it would serve in future. His belief was that the computer was ideated with the objective of automation but it should be used as a tool for workers to solve the growing complexities.

3) He wanted his vision to reach maximum people: He launched the Doug Engelbart Institute to share his vision.

4) Hardships could not demotivate him: Douglas’s father died when he was just 9, he still completed his education and carved a path of his own.

5) You are never too late to follow your dreams: Doug was working as a radar technician at the United states navy where he read an inspiring article and got motivated. He got married in 1951, but he realized that he had no career goals and then started on his journey to develop something to solve the complexities of the world.

6) Health issues could not break his morale: Engelbart was battling with Alzheimer’s disease since 2007 but he still attended the program for future 2010 conference where 100s of people gathered to discuss, how to pursue his vision of collective intelligence.

Douglas C. Engelbart was not only someone who gave us something of value but he gave us inspiration, enough to last us for generations.

Happy Birthday, Douglas! May more people like you work towards making the world a better place.

Smriti Tuteja Author 15 Blogs