Today (May 12, 2025), I will introduce an invention closely related to this date. The invention I will introduce today is ”correction fluid”.
May 12 is the death anniversary of Bette Nesmith Graham (March 23, 1924 – May 12, 1980), who is known as the inventor of correction fluid.
In the 1950s, typewriters were widely used in the United States. However, once a typo was made, it was necessary to retype the entire document from the beginning, which was a time-consuming and tedious process. As a result, there was a growing demand for an easy way to correct typos.
Nesmith, who was a typist, is said to have come up with the idea of using the same color as the typewriter paper to cover up mistakes while watching a painter decorate a bank window. She discovered that mixing tempera paint with water and applying it with a watercolor brush could correct mistakes so effectively that his supervisor couldn’t notice them. She began using this method and later started selling the product under the name “Liquid Paper” in 1958.
This marked the beginning of the widespread use of correction fluid worldwide. In Japan, it was also extensively improved, and today, correction tape-type products are widely used, as is well known. I found an article that succinctly summarizes this history, so I will share it here.
Nesmith was also recognized for her significant contributions that had previously been overlooked. After death, she was honored with an obituary in The New York Times, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a lengthy tribute article about her. (blink)