First Chinese typewriter rediscovered in grandfather's basement

A unique experimental typewriter stored in a New York state basement for decades turned out to be a one-of-a-kind piece of communications history. According to an announcement from Stanford University, historians and one unsuspecting granddaughter have rediscovered the long-missing MingKwai machine. Earlier this year, Jennifer Felix and her husband were working to clean out her recently deceased grandfather's home when they came across a large, extremely heavy typewriting device. However, instead of a more traditional setup the contraption featured five rows of keys topped with Chinese characters. After reaching out for help online, Felix realized her grandfather had been the owner of the MingKwai--one man's innovative, if ultimately doomed, attempt to incorporate the Chinese language onto a mechanical typewriter.