Pellegrino Turri

Pellegrino Turri, an Italian inventor, invented a mechanical typing machine, one of the first typewriters in 1801 for his blind lover Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano. He also invented carbon paper to provide the ink for his machine.

Although not much is known about the machine, some of the letters written on it by the countess have survived. The 2010 novel The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace is based on their story.