Why is a computer mouse called a mouse?

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Think about the last time you used a computer. Maybe you clicked on a part of the screen to start a fun game, or maybe you  scrolled down to see more of an interesting picture. A special computer tool called a mouse probably helped you to do these things!

A mouse allows you to point and click so you can give your computer important jobs to do. But how did the computer mouse get its name?

In 1968, a man named Douglas Engelbart created this special tool to help people control their computers. It was a small wooden block on wheels, and there was a long cable sticking out of the back, kind of like a tail! One of the researchers helping Mr. Engelbart with his creation called the tool a mouse, and presto! The new tool had a name!     

Later mouse devices were curvier and looked even more like mice than Mr. Engelbart’s first model, while some newer computer mouse devices don’t look much like rodents at all!

Is your computer mouse connected to your computer by an external wire? It may not be! In fact, if you have a laptop computer, your mouse may be a rectangle near the keypad, and you may call it a touchpad!  What does your computer mouse look like? What special jobs does the mouse help you to do?

Posted by  JimmyP  on 2011-02-27 22:27:44  

Think about what it would be like if we'd called it something else all those years ago, like just "block" or "wooden pointer" instead of "mouse"...