Who invented the computer mouse, first publicly demonstrated in 1968?

Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse, which his team publicly demonstrated in 1968.

Engelbart developed the mouse at the Stanford Research Institute as part of a broader effort to improve interactive computing. The original device was a small wooden block with two perpendicular wheels that translated hand movement into motion on a computer display. It was connected to the computer by a cable, which inspired the informal nickname “mouse.”

Engineer Bill English built the first prototype from Engelbart’s concept and later helped refine related pointing devices. Engelbart’s 1967 patent described the device as an “X-Y position indicator for a display system,” but the patent did not use the now-familiar name.

The mouse was demonstrated during the famous 1968 “Mother of All Demos,” which also showcased hypertext, windowed displays, collaborative editing, and videoconferencing. Commercial adoption came much later, especially after graphical user interfaces made pointing devices broadly useful.