+- Hack Forums (https://hackforums.net)
+-- Forum: Tech (https://hackforums.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=444)
+--- Forum: Computing (https://hackforums.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=88)
+---- Forum: Computing Lounge (https://hackforums.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+---- Thread: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" (/showthread.php?tid=6324926)
The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - techpacket - May 5, 2026
Hi everyone,
I was just cleaning my setup and looking at my gaming mouse with all its RGB, 20k DPI, and optical sensors, and it made me curious about where it all started. I ended up down a rabbit hole looking at the first-ever mouse prototype, and man, we’ve come a long way.
The first mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964. But it wasn't sleek plastic or ergonomic—it was a literal carved-out block of wood.
The specs (if you can even call them that):
Body: Solid wood.
Buttons: Just one tiny red button in the corner that looked like a doorbell.
Tracking: It didn't have a ball or an optical sensor. It used two metal wheels positioned at 90-degree angles to track X and Y axis movement.
The "Tail": The cord actually came out of the back of the device (near the user's wrist), which is why they started calling it a "mouse." They eventually moved it to the front because the wire kept getting in the way.
It’s wild to think that this clunky wooden box is the "grandfather" of every high-end mouse we use for gaming or coding today. Engelbart actually never even got any royalties for it because his patent expired right before the "PC Revolution" took off in the 80s.
Imagine trying to hit a flick shot in Valorant or navigating a complex IDE with a literal block of wood lol.
What’s the weirdest or oldest mouse you guys have ever used? Anyone here still remember the struggle of cleaning the gunk off those old mechanical mouse balls?
RE: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - Deany - May 5, 2026
Interesting. I did not know that. The more you know I guess.
RE: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - NoSuchAgency - May 6, 2026
I found a picture of it, very interesting! I'd use it.
RE: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - techpacket - May 6, 2026
(May 6, 2026 06:09 AM)NoSuchAgency Wrote: I found a picture of it, very interesting! I'd use it.
WOW brother
its amaging thanks for sharing
just WOW
RE: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - Mercury - May 6, 2026
(May 6, 2026 06:09 AM)NoSuchAgency Wrote: I found a picture of it, very interesting! I'd use it.
You are the real MVP for finding that, haha. Sometimes I can't believe how far we've come in terms of how technology has evolved over the years. Super wild seeing something like this, knowing what it inevitably turned into and how common such a thing has become. A literal fucking piece of wood with some basic circuitry and wiring turned into things like this:
![[Image: 1682350820-1762181.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/mV1VB8P0/1682350820-1762181.jpg)
RE: The first computer mouse was literally a "wooden block" - Mastercarder - May 8, 2026
Crazy part is people in 1964 probably looked at that wooden brick the same way people today look at Neuralink or AR glasses.
In 40 years we’ll probably laugh at dragging plastic around a desk too.