Let me share with you the story about this old typewriter.
You already know that I like to go to estate sales. Well, I also have a rather odd hobby... I collect interesting obituaries.
I have been doing this for about 5 years and have about 20 books filled with them.
Some are actually funny, some are sad, some make you wish you had known that person and many teach you about history and also what is really important in life.
And some are about people who are inventors.

I read an interesting one in the Dallas paper. There was no photo and it was a young fella about 30 years old that died.
The obit was succinct and to the point... it read, "There will be no services... if you wished to see me, you would have seen me while I was alive." End of obituary.
This obituary haunted me. I wondered what had happened to this young man to have such an obit.

So, I started reading more obits and then started clipping the interesting or unusual ones and before I knew it, I had a grand collection!

Now this is where the typewriter comes in.
I went to an estate sale in Dallas. It was Jack Kilby's estate sale.
This man's name should be familiar to people all over the world because his technological invention has changed our lives more than anything in our lifetime.
He worked at TI (Texas Instruments) and invented the microchip. He also won the Nobel prize.
In his obituary it said that he seldom used e-mail.
I went to his estate sale and purchased his typewriter and I was ecstatic!
My grandbaby comes in the house and goes over and touches the keys. So... "whose typewriter is that?" I ask, and he replies... "That's Jack's typewriter!"

We might not be here on Pbase if it were not for Jack and his amazing invention!

You will enjoy this about Jack's amazing invention...
http://www.kera.org/tv/productions/the-chip-that-jack-built-2009/