HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!

Who would have guessed? International Caps Lock Day is actually a thing! It’s the perfect opportunity for people to make their point—loudly—and, let’s be honest, be a little obnoxious while they’re at it. There’s nothing quite like receiving a message filled with capital letters, where every word feels like it’s shouting at you. While it started as a humorous way to poke fun at those who overuse the Caps Lock key, the day has since become a playful excuse for people to embrace the chaos of all-caps typing. So, whether they’re emphasizing a point or just having some fun, expect to be bombarded with loud digital “shouting” on this quirky day!

International Caps Lock Day was created by computer scientist Derek Arnold as a humorous response to the overuse of capital letters in emails and online messages. Frustrated by the frequent use of all-caps—which is often perceived as shouting in digital communication—Arnold decided to poke fun at the issue by dedicating a day to it. He chose October 22nd as the official date for this lighthearted “holiday,” encouraging everyone to type only in uppercase letters for the day. The intention behind the event was to highlight how ridiculous and abrasive excessive caps can be in written communication, while also bringing some fun and awareness to digital etiquette. Over time, International Caps Lock Day has grown into an annual event, with people around the world participating to celebrate with a playful twist.

One approach to breaking the habit of typing in all caps is to eliminate the Caps Lock key, a step Google took in 2020 with its line of Chromebooks. Instead of the traditional Caps Lock key, Google replaced it with a dedicated search key, signaling a shift in priorities for modern typing. Although users can still enable all-caps if needed, doing so now requires a combination of multiple keys, making it less convenient. The trend of typing in all capital letters is fading, especially as younger generations, who primarily communicate via smartphones, rarely use capital letters at all. Their text-based communication tends to favor lowercase letters, reflecting a more casual and informal style. This shift indicates that the habit of typing in all caps may eventually become obsolete as digital communication continues to evolve.

But how did we come to have a key that lets us instantly transform all lowercase letters into uppercase? The story of the Caps Lock key dates back to 1878 with the introduction of the Remington 2 typewriter—a groundbreaking machine ahead of its time. This particular model not only featured the now-standard QWERTY keyboard layout but also introduced a revolutionary new function: a dedicated key that allowed typists to shift all letters into uppercase with ease. This innovation was a major leap forward in typographic writing, simplifying the process of creating capital letters and making it faster and more efficient. The Caps Lock key would go on to become an essential part of modern keyboards, changing the way people type and communicate. The Remington 2’s introduction of this feature was a bold move towards the future of writing technology, setting the stage for the way we interact with text today.