The court reporter’s favorite tool, or the stenograph, has existed in the world of law for nearly 150 years! The stenograph always has been, and still is, a machine designed to help court reporters by allowing them to record legal proceedings in shorthand. Naturally, the tool has changed and grown as technology has, but the bones of it have remained the same.
The first court reporting machine, or The Stenograph Shorthand Machine, was invented all the way back in 1877. Ten keys could be depressed simultaniously to create a series of dots and dashes that resembled Morse code. Other machines came and went, but this machine was still regularly used into the 1930’s when a quieter, more dependable machine was developed. This machine was 40 pounds lighter than the first and held an 11-inch ribbon with 300 folds of paper.
It wasn’t until 1963 that a machine was developed that could encode notes for computer transcription. The Stenograph Data Writer was known for its accurate transmission with minimum key pressure, and it even included cable to attach to recording device. By 1974, the machine incorperated cassettes for recording purposes.
But when did stenographs include more digital options? Visit our page on the History of the Stenograph to learn more about the long history of our go-to machines.