Albert Tangora

Albert Tangora
Tangora in 1938
Born(1903-07-02)July 2, 1903
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedApril 7, 1978(1978-04-07) (aged 74)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Known forbeing the fastest typer on a typewriter
Spouses
Dorothy Lane
​
(m. 1926)​
Virginia Martin
​
(m. 1934)​
Children2[1]
Signature

Albert Tangora (July 2, 1903 – April 7, 1978) was an American competitive typist who was widely regarded as having the fastest typing speed on a typewriter.[2] Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Tangora began typing in 1916, entering typing contests the following year.

On October 22, 1923, Tangora set the 60-minute typing speed world record at 147 words per minute (WPM). After a rest period, he typed 159 words in a one-minute "sprint". The typewriter he used was a QWERTY keyboard Underwood Standard. Although it was eventually beaten by an electric model in 1941,[3][4] Tangora continues to hold the record on a manual typewriter.[5][6]

Throughout his typing career, he appeared in advertisements for typewriter companies Underwood Typewriter Company and Royal Typewriter Company.[7]

After retiring, Tangora began competing again in subsequent typing competitions sponsored by the International Commercial Schools Association. He held the record there as well at 141 WPM, set in 1937 on a Royal typewriter. He later beat his own record with a typing speed of 142 WPM. In all, he won the competition seven times.[8]

  1. ^ "TANGORA". Chicago Tribune. April 9, 1978. p. 111. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "Albert Tangora, World's Fastest Typist, To Visit Greenville". The Daily Advocate. January 28, 1939. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "NEW TYPING CHAMPION". Belvidere Daily Republican. June 25, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TeachNavy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Action Line". The South Bend Tribune. March 25, 1982. p. 2. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Fastest typist on a manual typewriter in an hour test". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Speed Typists Say "ROYAL"". Royal Typewriter Company. The Berkshire County Eagle. January 7, 1942. p. 2. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  8. ^ "Who Knows On This?". Washington Times-Herald. November 5, 1946. p. 14. Retrieved May 4, 2024.