QWERTY is the name for the commonly used keyboard on computers. It takes its name from the first six letters in the upper left of the keyboard. Its layout was transferred to computer keyboards from electric typewriter keyboards. It was transferred to electric typewriter keyboards from manual typewriters… which didn’t have “keyboards”. They just had keys.
Computer keyboards are totally electronic. Hitting a key activates electrons. Electric typewriters came in various forms, but most later ones had little balls covered with reversed letters that struck carbon paper ribbons against paper to imprint images when the keys were struck.
Manual typewriter keys controlled little arms with reversed letters on them. As you hit the keys, the little arm would swing into action, smacking the same carbon paper image against paper. The difference here being that the action was totally controlled by the force of your fingers hitting the keys. Typing this way was hard work and resulted in tired fingers. But if you were good, you could get fast. And if you were too fast, the keys would jamb as in the image to the left. In college I used an electric typewriter with strike arms. As a left-hander, I often caused jambs because commonly used letters are mostly on the left… slowing most right-handed people down.
I’ve been a fan of Science Fiction since Grandma Berger gave me a 
