The IBM Selectric (a portmanteau of "selective" and "electric") was a highly successful line of electric typewriters introduced by IBM on 31 July 1961. Instead of the "basket" of individual typebars that swung up to strike the ribbon and page in a typical typewriter of the period, the Selectric had a chrome-plated plastic "element" (frequently called a "typeball", or less formally, a "golf ball") that rotated and tilted to the correct position before striking the paper.
The IBM Selectric (a portmanteau of "selective" and "electric") was a highly successful line of electric typewriters introduced by IBM on 31 July 1961. Instead of the "basket" of individual typebars that swung up to strike the ribbon and page in a typical typewriter of the period, the Selectric had a chrome-plated plastic "element" (frequently called a "typeball", or less formally, a "golf ball") that rotated and tilted to the correct position before striking the paper.
Source: Wikipedia "IBM Selectric" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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