Technology today is accessible on the go and at the touch of a finger. However, the use of personal, portable technology came long after the birth of the computer. At first, computers could only be used at a business, and users could only interact with computers with the aid of intermediaries.

On this day, November 17th, in 1970, Douglas Engelbart received a patent for his invention of the first computer mouse.

Engelbart’s research and innovations were aimed at easing user interface. He worked prominently throughout the 1960s, applying for a patent for his early computer mouse model by 1967. Three years later, he received the patent. Engelbart nicknamed the technology a “mouse” because the cord looked like a tail. He also called the on-screen cursor a “bug,” but this nickname did not catch on as widely.