Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller is responsible for designing the world's very first commercial mouse pad in 1979, created specifically to accompany the Xerox Alto computer.

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Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller is responsible for designing the world's very first commercial mouse pad in 1979, created specifically to accompany the Xerox Alto computer. Jack Kelley, a designer known for revolutionizing office cubicles, noticed that the mechanical ball inside early mice slipped wildly on standard desk surfaces, so he crafted a dedicated friction pad to fix the problem. This means that an elite, high-end seating company accidentally invented the sweaty neoprene rectangles that currently gather dust and crumbs on every gamer's desk across the globe. It is hilarious that a brand known for selling ergonomic office chairs for two thousand dollars a pop is the unsung grandfather of those cheap, RGB-glowing anime desk mats you buy off Amazon for twelve bucks